


Saved in a Flash

by unicorg221B



Category: Supernatural, The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Canon Rewrite, Crossover, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Sisters, Slow Burn, Swearing, long fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:47:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 72,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28872540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unicorg221B/pseuds/unicorg221B
Summary: Hayley Allen is a CSI at the Central City Police Department...and the Flash. When John Winchester saves her and her sister Iris, she agrees to keep an eye on his boys. But soon she finds herself caught up with the Winchesters' world of monsters and horror, and can’t stay away. For more than one reason.Saved in a Flash is the first part of a Supernatural x Flash crossover series. Starts at SPN S01E16. Tags are updated. Be patient, this is very slow burn.*continues in April*
Relationships: Dean Winchester & Original Female Character(s), Dean Winchester/Original Female Character(s), Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s)
Kudos: 5





	1. Shadow

**Author's Note:**

> Hi & welcome! I hope you love this story. I like posting long, slow burn fics, so hang on & enjoy the ride! :)
> 
> This story is a crossover of The Flash & Supernatural. It's an AU that combines both shows as I saw a lot of parallels between & came up with this story. Things you need to know: my Flash is female & modeled after Jesse Quick. On this earth, she was born as Hayley Allen and is Iris' adopted sister. I wanted/needed more girl power in both shows. So hooray for female friendships in this one!  
> Secondly, I wanted the boys of Supernatural to be a little happier and combine the darkness of SPN with the bubbliness of Flash.  
> The goal is to combine the best of both worlds basically. Each chapter is an episode of either show or a combo of both, canon rewritten to fit new characters. The further the story gets, the more canon divergence might occur, but it mostly follows SPN's canon. This is super slow burn & characters may date others but are still endgame. 
> 
> Part 1: Saved in Flash - S1 of SPN & Flash (in progress)  
> Part 2: Fast Lane - S2 of SPN & S1 of Flash (planned)
> 
> Happy reading! ⚡️😈

She was standing in the parking lot, leaning casually against a lamp post as the light shone down on her red leather jacket and pants. She wasn't worried anyone would notice her, a girl dressed head-to-toe in leather. It was dark, and this was a deadbeat town in the middle of nowhere.

Not that she cared that much to begin with. It was the end of February, and she was freezing her ass off. All she wanted was her comfortable bed at home. She had watched the brothers for a little over six weeks now.

She felt her butt vibrating. She pulled out her phone and looked at the screen. She sighed at the name.

"John?"

" _How are my boys?_ "

She could sense a smile on his face. John was a scary dude unless he talked about his sons.

"They're fine." She glanced over to the motel where the brothers were cozily staying while she was standing here in the pouring rain like a creep. "Haven't seen that demon girl, Meg, either yet since Sam left that bus station in Indiana." She sounded emotionlessly like it was some sort of official report she had to deliver.

" _Good, that's good,_ " he sounded relieved.

She rolled her eyes.

 _T_ _hey would always be safe if it weren't for you and your insane agenda,_ she thought.

"John," she started to say but hesitated. She knew exactly what he would say. It's not like she hadn't tried before. "Are you sure you're doing the right thing here by not telling them?"

" _Just keep 'em safe_."

He hung up. Of course, he did. She let out a frustrated groan.

She had met John Winchester a few months ago when Central City was plagued by a vampire nest. Back then, she thought meta-humans were a handful to deal with until she learned vampires were an actual thing. And they weren't the ridiculous Dracula version either. They were scary as shit.

Her whole life, she had looked for weird. And then, within one year, she found the motherload of weird unexplainable crap.

First, she got struck by lightning (which sucked), only to land in a nine-month-long coma (which sucked even more). And when she finally woke up, she had found herself in an even weirder situation: suddenly having the ability of super-speed.

Second, she found out not only did _she_ have powers, but a few other people in her city were affected too. Weirdly, all of them evil. So it was up to her alone to stop them. Well, her and the leftover scientists at S.T.A.R. Labs. They had caused all of this chaos in the first place due to an unforeseen particle accelerator explosion.

And third, she ran into John Winchester and learned of even more crap. One of those "craps" being vampires.

Back then, one of the vampires had taken her sister, Iris. She had no idea _what_ had taken her exactly, but she knew she had to find her sister, no matter what. When she ran blindly into the nest, she almost got herself killed. And Iris too.

Fortunately for them, John Winchester had already been hunting those nasty vampires. Which apparently was a thing too: hunting monsters.

With a machete, he cut off the vampires' heads effortlessly. She had never seen a decapitation before this day. And frankly, she wasn't sure she ever wanted to. But he had saved both of their lives that day. And she was grateful for that.

So grateful, in fact, that she couldn't say no when he asked her a few months later after their first meeting to watch out for his two sons. John had to hunt some sort of super demon (demons are a thing as well).

At first, she thought watching some kids wouldn't be a big deal. She didn't care about the details of the hows & whys. But then she realized his sons were actual grown men in their twenties. However, after a little longer conversation with their father, she agreed anyway. 

The only twist: the boys weren't supposed to know she was watching them. Another thing she learned: hunters didn't like supernatural beings. And although she explained to John at length how she came to be (very detailed science), she could tell he still didn't quite buy it. Which made things fairly complicated.

It had been six weeks.

Now, she was just hoping it would be over soon, so she could get back to her somewhat normal life as a vigilante in Central City. Not to mention her actual day job as a CSI, her family, and her friends.

Thinking about Central City made her miss them even more. It felt like college all over again. She sighed and pulled out her scarlet red phone.

"Hey, Joe," she said with a big smile on her face. She could hear a heartily laugh on the other end.

" _Hey, kiddo! Iris and I were just cooking grandma Esther's noodle dish,_ " Joe told her excitedly.

What she wouldn't give for a self-cooked meal right now! Ever since she got her powers, she needed to carb load almost constantly. Her stomach was growling at the thought of it.

"Oh, I love grandma's noodle dish!" She exclaimed with a pout.

Joe chuckled. " _We miss you, kid. It's for sure quieter around here without your science babble and the singing._ "

She laughed. "Doesn't sound like you miss me _too_ much." Joe giggled. "I miss you guys, too." Hayley knew her voice sounded sad. And Joe probably had heard it too.

" _When you're coming home? Did he tell you when it's over?"_ Joe sounded concerned.

He always did when it came to his two girls. Joe was the best father anyone could ever wish for. He had taken Hayley in when she was eleven. He had looked after her and put her even through college since then. She knew what a good father looked like, and John Winchester wasn't even in the vicinity of close. Maybe that's why she felt like she needed to protect those two boys even more. Because it seemed like there was no one else around to do this job.

"Nope. 'Just keep 'em safe,'" she replied, trying to mimic John's low voice. "Not that these two yahoos are even doing _anything_ ," she said, rolling her eyes annoyed. Another laugh rang through her phone.

" _Well, you know what I think of this whole operation and of John Winchester. I've been a detective long enough to see people for who they are_ ," he cautioned her like he always did.

"I know, Joe. But he did save Iris' life. And _mine_ , for that matter."

" _And I'll always be grateful for saving my two baby girls, but this agenda is crazy. And you still have a life here. You know, a job to get back to?"_

"Well, I got struck by lightning only a few months ago, and I was… experiencing side effects. So officially, I'm on sabbatical," she joked.

Caitlin Snow, one of the scientists at S.T.A.R. Labs and her personal physician, had helped her out with that excuse. Caitlin had even sent her police captain a letter detailing her lightning disease. She had no idea how he could've bought that, but here she was.

Joe giggled. " _You know where people usually go on sabbatical? An_ island," he deadpanned.

She rolled her eyes, even if he couldn't see. She knew somehow he would still know through his dad-magic.

"Hey, if I'm lucky, they might hunt a ghost on an island soon," she said half-jokingly but actually hoped it would come true. She needed a vacation.

" _Did you just say 'ghost'?_ " he asked incredulously.

"Oh, did I never mention that before?" She couldn't remember if she had actually told him before. There were so many new things, crazy things she discovered every day.

_Besides, when you know about vampires and demons, what's so unbelievable about ghosts anyway?_

"Well, my point is – the last thing I can do is sacrifice a few weeks out of my life and keep an eye on his kids. I mean, it's kinda sweet when you think about it," she said. Her eyes glanced over to the boys' motel room window. They were fighting over the last slice of pizza.

She could hear Joe sigh on the other line.

" _Fine. Just be safe out there,_ " he finally surrendered.

"Puh-lease, safe is my middle name, yo," she replied jokingly.

He sighed even deeper and hung up. He knew he couldn't tell that girl anything. She had her own damn head.

* * *

**Chicago, Illinois**

The brothers had driven all night to Chicago to solve yet another mysterious murder. She had thought of way too many _Hardy Boys_ jokes already. She knew if she ever got actual face time with them, they wouldn't kill her. Not because of her powers, but probably because of all those god-awful jokes.

Sam and Dean had bought overalls from the security company of the murder apartment and walked casually down the street.

She was never far behind them, just far enough so they never spotted her. Not that they ever did. Sometimes she wondered how they even managed to solve a case by themselves.

"All right, Dean. This is the place," Sam said and pointed to an apartment building across the street.

He was the younger brother, but still taller in height. His hair was longer and shaggier, falling into his face. He was also the booksmart one. He was a pre-law at Stanford before his older brother dragged him out to hunt again. Sam also did most of the case research. She had a feeling she would get along with him.

"You know, I've gotta say, Dad and me did just fine without these stupid costumes. I feel like a high school drama dork," Dean complained as usual and then started to smile. "What was that play that you did? What was it – _Our Town_. Yeah, you were good, it was cute," he teased his younger brother.

Dean was another story. He was older, but some would argue not necessarily wiser. He was more likely to get into trouble and cared more about the action part of their job than the research. He was rough around the edges for sure. But it was obvious from afar he cared about his little brother and his dad. It was hard to decide whether he was just plain reckless sometimes or overprotective. One thing she did know: he was more likely than Sam to shoot her on sight. 

But she couldn't help but smile. After a while, their brotherly teasing had grown on her. Plus, it was the only entertainment she could get these days.

"Look, you wanna pull this off or not?" Sam asked annoyed while rolling his eyes back.

"I'm just sayin', these outfits cost hard-earned money, okay?"

"Whose?" Sam asked with a knowing smile.

" _Ours_. You think credit card fraud is easy?"

Of course, she had to ignore all the illegal activities, like credit card fraud or the occasional breaking and entering. She had been raised by a cop after all. She even worked for law enforcement. Simply by knowing all this, _she_ was committing a crime. Her anxiety at night was at times through the roof due to this.

When the boys had left the apartment and came back with nothing, she went in herself to take a look.

She had read the newspaper article – a young woman named Meredith was found shred to pieces in her apartment. No signs of a break-in whatsoever. She had hacked into the local police records earlier and found out that Meredith's heart had been missing. She had seen many different crime scenes in her short career as a CSI, but there was always another one that would surprise her even more than the last. Whether it'd be a new form of cruelty or a different kind of craziness.

This crime scene was both.

She pulled out an EMF meter she had built herself. She had seen the boys use one of them to find supernatural beings. She had always assumed the paranormal activity stuff was pseudoscience. But alas, another thing she had been wrong about. Dean had made an EMF meter out of an old Walkman. Hers was a little more advanced. Monster hunting might be up _their_ alley, but engineering technological devices was definitely up hers. And she had a little help from a friend from home.

She took a few steps through the living room. The device in her hand beeped frantically. Her money was on a spirit. It was usually a spirit or cursed object. She also hoped it would be. It was the only thing she could actually fight. Although, that murder did seem awfully violent and unnecessarily bloody for a run-of-the-mill spirit. There was also the missing heart. She frowned. She hated it when she couldn't solve a puzzle.

And then, there it was – the blood spatter. Why hadn't she seen this earlier? She almost felt stupid for not noticing it instantly.

She took some tape from a desk nearby and walked over to the drops of blood spilled all over the carpet. She used the tape to literally connect the dots. She took a step back and looked at it curiously.

"Well, that's definitely odd," she said out loud. Even though no one was there.

Man, she was getting crazy lonely...

She knelt down to look at the symbol up close. It was a circle with two hooks. It almost resembled the letter _Z_. She hadn't seen it anywhere before and sighed in frustration.

* * *

The boys had decided to check out the bar where Meredith had worked. She was sure Dean had been the first to volunteer when the word _bar_ was mentioned. He was sort of the type that would volunteer for these things. When they left their motel room, she snuck in. She placed a photo of the blood spatter symbol on the table next to Sam's laptop and a stack of library books. On the back of the photo, she had scribbled some of her research. It wasn't the first time she had snuck into their room and left them clues for their cases. A few "accidentally" opened books on a particular page about the thing they were hunting here and there, usually did the trick.

She caught up with them at a nearby bar and found them sitting at a table. She sat down at another table within ears' reach. She knew she had to be careful not to get seen by them. Once wasn't so bad – but more than that, and they would grow suspicious and probably try to kill her. Until now, she had managed to avoid it. Dean had tried to hit on her once, but she was fast enough to trip the waiter before he could even see her face. Now she only hoped he wouldn't remember women's butts. She knew the odds weren't in her favor, though.

"So, you talked to the cops?" Sam asked his brother.

"Uh, yeah. I spoke to Amy, a, uh, charming, perky officer of the law," he smirked.

"Yeah? What'd you find out?"

"Well, she's a Sagittarius. She loves tequila, I mean – wow. Oh, and she's got this little tattoo-," Dean described dreamily.

"Dean!" Sam interrupted him, annoyed.

"What? Yeah. Uh, nothin' we don't already know," he replied nonchalantly. "Except for one thing they're keepin' out of the papers – Meredith's heart was missing."

"Her heart?!" Sam asked, stunned.

"Yeah, her heart," Dean confirmed his little brother.

"So, what do you think did it to her?"

"Well, the landlady said it looked like an animal attack. Maybe it was—werewolf?" Dean suggested.

"No, no werewolf – the lunar cycle's not right. Plus, if it was a creature, it would've left some kind of trace. It's probably a spirit," Sam proposed instead.

"Well, either way I'm getting a beer. Plus, the bartender might know something about Meredith," Dean concluded with a grin and walked over to the pretty bartender.

She could sense Sam's eyes rolling even from her spot and laughed.

Sam took out his dad's journal and started looking through it. She wished she had put the photo in there. It drove her crazy not to directly help them. It would make things so much easier.

She glanced over to Dean at the bar as he was happily flirting with the bartender. He took a shot of tequila before walking back over to Sam at the table, seemingly chipper.

"So, I talked to the bartender," he declared as it hadn't been obvious.

"Did you get anything besides her number?" Sam asked sarcastically, still seeming a little annoyed at his brother's behavior.

"Dude, I'm a professional. I'm offended that you would think that."

Sam shot him a knowing look.

He started chuckling. "Alright, yeah," he confessed winningly and pulled out a napkin with the girl's phone number on it.

Least to say, Sam looked more than a little annoyed by now. "You mind doin' a little bit of thinking with your upstairs brain, Dean?" He was staring daggers at Dean.

She almost spat out her shot of tequila, watching them bicker. 

"Huh? Look, there's nothing to find out. I mean, Meredith worked here, she waited tables, everyone here was her friend. Everybody said she was normal. She didn't do or say anything weird before she died, so – what about that first victim? Before Meredith?"

"Right, yeah."

Sam pulled out the newspaper clipping concerning the first death and handed it to Dean.

The first victim's name was Ben Swardstrom. Last month he was found mutilated in his townhouse. The murder had the same circumstances as Meredith's – the door was locked, the alarm was on. She hadn't found any connection between the two yet. Ben was a banker and Meredith a waitress. They could have met at the bar, sure. But it still wouldn't explain why they both got killed by some supernatural thing.

The brothers turned up with the same conclusion – they had nothing.

"So, to recap, the only successful intel we've scored so far is the bartender's phone number," Dean said, smirking.

Suddenly, Sam's look wandered from Dean to somewhere off in the distance. She followed his stare to a table across the room.

Hayley almost spat out her drink again when she recognized the blonde short-haired girl. Meg – that demonic bitch.

 _T_ _hat demonic bitch they still don't know about_ , she realized.

"What? Sam?" Dean called out after his little brother.

Sam stood up and walked away from their table right over to Meg. He tipped her on the shoulder and she turned around with a warm fake smile. They even _hugged_. Hayley couldn't even believe he was touching that thing after what she saw that demon do to that truck driver.

Back in Indiana, when Sam had his first run-in with Meg, she had followed the girl. It had been just a bad gut feeling but her gut had never disappointed her before. And it didn't that time either. As soon as Sam had left that bus station, so did Meg. Apparently, California hadn't been as important anymore and she hitched a ride with a truck driver instead. Little did she know she had an eye-witness when she slit that man's throat, dripped his blood into a bowl and _talked_ into it. Meg's black eyes flashing only had confirmed it – demon.

Dean followed Sam shortly and postured himself behind his taller brother.

Hayley moved across the room as well and settled in behind a crowd of people standing close by. She hoped she could still hear the conversation well enough. They seemed to be chatting about the odds of running into each other again and where Meg originally was from.

 _Hell_ , she thought darkly.

Dean seemed like he felt a little left out and cleared his throat. He got ignored and they continued to chit-chat as if he wasn't even there. He tried again and cleared his throat a little louder – this time earning a death stare from Meg.

"Dude, cover your mouth," Meg hissed at Dean.

He frowned at her. He was used to being the one getting the girls – surely, not Sam.

"Yeah, um, I'm sorry, Meg. This is, uh – this is my brother, Dean," Sam introduced him finally.

Meg looked surprised. "This is Dean?" she asked dim-wittedly.

Dean threw his cockiest smile at her. "So you've heard of me?" He acted like he was waiting for her to fall to his feet anytime soon by just looking at his charming self.

"Oh, yeah. I've heard of you. Nice – the way you treat your brother like luggage," Meg retorted.

Dean's grin faded and turned into a confused look at Sam. "Sorry?" he asked incredulously.

"Why don't you let him do what he wants to do? Stop dragging him over God's green earth," she told him straight to his face.

"Meg, it's all right," Sam tried to calm her before this conversation got even more out of hand.

They stood there in silence for a while before Dean shook his head and let out a low whistling noise. "Okay, awkward. I'm gonna get a drink now," he finally broke the silence. He shot Sam a puzzled look as he walked back over to the bar.

A little later, Sam joined Dean at the bar as Meg was back, talking to some friends.

 _Are they demons too? Or worse – just some innocent bystanders_ , she wondered.

"Who the hell was she?" Dean asked Sam, annoyed.

She hoped this wouldn't bring up their whole fight again.

The circumstances which led to Sam meeting Meg, also began with the usual Winchester bickering match. However, this particular time, it turned into a huge fight and Dean practically threw Sam out of the car.

Meg, of course, was using their fight as a way in with Sam.

"I don't really know. I only met her once. Meeting up with her again? I don't know, man, it's weird," Sam said, echoing her thoughts exactly.

She knew why she always avoided being seen more than once. People just didn't accidently run into each other across countries. Especially not in their line of business.

"And what was she saying? I treat you like luggage? What, were you bitchin' about me to some chick?"

Hayley crossed her fingers tightly and prayed this wouldn't turn into another fight. Being at two places at once had been way too complicated the last time. Not to mention all the calories she had burned that day and all the burritos she had to eat later to make up for it. Alone and sad in a dirty motel room. It had been a low point in her life.

"Look, I'm sorry, Dean. It was when we had that huge fight when I was in that bus stop in Indiana. But that's not important, just listen…," Sam tried to explain to his older brother.

"Well, is there any truth to what she's saying? I mean, am I keeping you against your will, Sam?" Dean asked him, carrying a lot of anger in his voice.

"No, of course not. Now, would you listen?" Sam tried to get his brother's attention.

"What?", Dean snorted at him.

His brows were already bending. His face always looked like this – whenever Dean was upset about something, but was too "man" about it to actually talk about his feelings.

 _Boys are stupid_ , she thought.

"I think there's something strange going on here, Dean," Sam told him a little worriedly.

"Yeah, tell me about it. She wasn't even that into me."

"No, man, I mean like _our_ kind of strange. Like, maybe even a lead," Sam added suggestively.

She already had suspected Meg behind the two murders once she saw the demon. It was just too odd running into her again at a bar where the waitress was killed by something really evil.

"Why do you say that?" Dean asked him, not too sure what to think of his brother's theory quite yet.

"I met Meg weeks ago, literally on the side of the road. And now, I run into her in some random Chicago bar? I mean, the same bar where a waitress was slaughtered by something supernatural? You don't think that's a little weird?"

 _Yes, thank you, Sam_ , she thought somehow proud. She always knew he was the smarter one of the two.

"I don't know, random coincidence. It happens," Dean said.

She rolled her eyes so hard in the distance, it felt like they were going to pop out any second.

"Yeah, it happens, but not to _us_. Look, I could be wrong, I'm just sayin' that there's something about this girl that I can't quite put my finger on," Sam explained.

She already knew what was coming next.

Dean smirked at him, "Well, I bet you'd like to. I mean, maybe she's not a suspect, maybe you've got a thing for her, huh?"

Sam rolled his eyes with a laugh.

"Maybe you're thinkin' a little too much with your upstairs brain, huh?" Dean wiggled his eyebrows teasingly, pointing to Sam's head.

"Do me a favor – check and see if there's really a Meg Masters from Andover, Massachusetts," Sam said in a serious tone again.

"What are you gonna do?" Dean asked and looked up at him.

"I'm gonna watch Meg," Sam declared.

"Yeah, you are," Dean said laughingly.

"I just wanna see what's what. Better safe than sorry," he explained.

"All right, you little pervert," Dean teased him.

Sam shot him an annoyed glare. "Dude."

Dean grinned at him satisfied. "I'm goin', I'm goin'," he stated and started heading for the door to get back to the motel to do some research.

Hopefully he would find her note then.

Hayley had first followed Sam to Meg's apartment. He was staying in the Impala to keep an eye on her.

When she determined he was somewhat safe, she went back to her motel room and pulled out her laptop. She sat down at her bed, legs crossed, and started to open various programs. She madly typed in codes at super-speed, her fingertips were hitting the keyboards hard.

She placed the laptop next to her on the bed and closed her eyes. Now she just had to wait.

She must have fallen asleep as she woke up a few hours later to her beeping laptop. Her alert had gone off – Dean was making a call to Sam.

Hayley occasionally hacked them – it made her life just so much easier. It was hard always being close enough to eavesdrop and this was an excellent way to find out what they were up to. Ironically, she had once taken a cyber security class in college.

* * *

Dean walked into the motel room, grabbed a beer from the mini fridge and sat down at the little table that was full with library books, police records and newspaper articles. He opened Sam's laptop and started doing his research on his brother's new girlfriend.

 _Paranoid little freak_ , he thought and shook his head.

When he was done and didn't come up with anything weird about this Meg girl, he leaned back in his chair and took another sip of his beer. He looked at the table with all their useless research. There was something different though.

His look hardened on a photo of a weird symbol next to Sam's laptop. He grabbed it and inspected it more closely.

"Huh, weird," he said out loud and turned the photo around to find some words scribbled at the back of it.

_Zoroastrian. Very, very old school. Like 2,000 years BC old. Sigil for Daeva.  
_ _Daeva = demon of darkness  
Savage, nasty attitudes. Think demonic pit bulls.  
_ _Have to be summoned  
_ _Who ?  
Do research. Can't do everything._

"What the hell?" he frowned.

 _T_ _hat bitchy attitude is so typical for Sam_ , he thought.

Annoyed, he pulled out his phone and waited for his little brother to pick up. He had some explaining to do.

" _Hey,_ " Sam finally answered.

"Let me guess. You're lurkin' outside that poor girl's apartment, aren't you?" Dean asked with a knowing smirk.

" _No_ ," Sam lied. Dean waited patiently for another response. " _Yes_."

He smiled winningly. "You've got a funny way of showin' your affection," he teased his brother.

" _Did you find anything on her or what?_ "

"Sorry, man, she checks out. There is a Meg Masters in the Andover phonebook. I even pulled up her high school photo." He looked at the website again. "Now, look, why don't you go knock on her door and, uh, invite her to a poetry reading, or whatever it is you do, huh?" he suggested, hoping it would finally get his brother laid.

He knew Sam needed a few nights of happiness – hell, even a few hours would be enough after Jessica's death.

" _What about the murder? Any luck?_ " Sam asked, ignoring his older brother's antics.

"Yeah, thanks for the note and the symbol, by the way," Dean retorted.

" _What note?_ " Sam asked, puzzled.

"You know...the photo with the connected blood spatter...with the symbol. And your research scribbled on the back with the passive-aggressive tone…"

" _Dean! What the hell are you talking about? I didn't leave you a note and I've never seen that photo before in my life_ ," he replied honestly at this new revelation.

"If it wasn't you – what, do we have a fucking ghost now or what, c'mon!" Dean looked around the room just to make sure there wasn't an actual ghost here.

" _Just calm down. I'll be there soon, okay?_ " Sam promised, clearly carrying a smile on his face at Dean's obvious distress.

"Fine. Anyways, I did some research, someone really knows their stuff. I think we've got a major player in town. Now, why don't you go give that girl a private strip-o-gram?"

" _Bite me_ ," Sam responded.

"No, bite _her_. Don't leave teeth marks, though…"

Sam hung up on him.

"Sam? Are you…?"

Not too long after, Sam came back to their motel room. He seemed flustered, and Dean got up from his bed and walked towards him.

"Dude, I gotta talk to you," they said simultaneously before looking surprised at each other.

They sat down at the bed and Sam told Dean what he had seen, spying on Meg.

After their call, Meg had left the apartment and Sam followed her to an abandoned warehouse. He hid out in the elevator shaft as he watched Meg kneeling at an altar and talking into a bowl.

"So, hot little Meg is summoning the Daeva?" Dean asked him after he had finished telling his story.

"Looks like she was using that black altar to control the thing," Sam confirmed.

"So, Sammy's got a thing for the bad girl." Dean chuckled as Sam rolled his eyes at him. "And what's the deal with that bowl again?"

"She was talking into it. The way witches used to into crystal balls or animal entrails. She was communicating with someone," he explained.

"With who? With the Daeva?"

"No, you said those things were savages. No, this was someone different. Someone who's giving her orders. Someone who's comin' to that warehouse."

Dean thought for a moment and glanced at some files on the table. He sat down and started digging through them.

"Holy crap," he exclaimed as if he had just said _Eureka!_

"What?"

"What I was gonna tell you earlier – I pulled a favor with my, uh friend, Amy, over at the police department. The complete records of the two victims – we missed something the first time."

Sam walked over to take a look at the files.

"The first victim, the old man – he spent his whole life in Chicago, but he wasn't born here. Look where he was born."

Dean pointed his finger at the location written down in the files.

"Lawrence, Kansas," Sam read out loud and looked at him stunned.

"Mhm, Meredith, second victim – turns out she was adopted. And guess where she's from. Lawrence, Kansas."

Sam sat down slowly on the bed, clearly shocked.

"Holy crap," he said, repeating Dean's initial thoughts. "I mean, it is where the demon killed Mom. That's where everything started. So, you think Meg's tied up with the demon?" He asked his older brother, hoping they would finally get a chance to revenge their mother's and his girlfriend's deaths.

"I think it's a definite possibility," Dean confirmed him. He was clearly worried, especially about Sam. He had been hell bent on killing this demon ever since Jessica. Sometimes Dean wasn't even sure Sam wouldn't sacrifice himself in order to kill this thing.

"But I don't understand. What's the significance of Lawrence? And how do these Daeva things fit in?" Sam asked in confusion, thinking of all the ways this could be connected to them.

"Beats me. But I say we trash that black altar, grab Meg, and have ourselves a friendly little interrogation," Dean suggested, ready to jump into danger whenever.

"No, we can't. We shouldn't tip her off. We've gotta stake out that warehouse. We've gotta see who, or what, is showin' up to meet her," Sam advised instead, being more reasonable than his brother.

"I'll tell you one thing. I don't think we should do this alone," Dean said thoughtfully, glancing over to his brother.

They knew they needed their father right about now.

* * *

She was wearing sweatpants, a hoodie and her reading glasses. She had put her hair up into a messy bun and had ordered Chinese food earlier, stacking up box after box on her nightstand.

She was wearing headphones and had listened to the brothers' conversation, as she had successfully hacked into the speakers and microphone of Sam's laptop.

She agreed with the boys – this was a job for John.

Unfortunately, she had already tried him a million times and he didn't even bother to send a carrier pigeon.

She was out of ideas. Could she take on a demon? She literally knew nothing about them. John hadn't told her much. She had learned a few things from library books. But she never knew what sources to trust. But she figured she had to fight a demon, as their was no other obvious alternative in sight.

The brothers still didn't know Meg _was_ even a demon, and were about to walk into an evident trap.

She still was mad at herself for not noticing this sooner: The birth place of both victims just so happen to coincide with the boys'. When she heard it ringing through her headphones, her body had immediately tensed, sensing a threat.

After all, everything had started in Lawrence. Their adventure. And hers.

She had to warn the boys somehow.

* * *

Dean had just left a voicemail on their father's phone when Sam entered their motel room, carrying a duffle bag full of weapons. They always kept it in the trunk of Dean's '67 Chevy Impala.

"Jesus, what'd you get?" Dean gestured to the bags in Sam's hand.

Sam chuckled. "I ransacked that trunk. Holy water, every weapon that I could think of, exorcism rituals from about a half dozen religions. I'm not sure what to expect, so I guess we should just expect everything," he said, and Dean nodded in agreement.

"Big night," Dean noted after a short silence.

They had started to load their guns.

"Yeah. You nervous?" Sam asked, glancing over at his brother.

Dean's face was stern. His brother never tended to give away _too_ much, no matter what apparent danger they were facing. He was always the older brother, looking out for his younger sibling.

"No. Why, are you?"

"No. No way," Sam said. He had been waiting for this for a long time. He was ready. "God, could you imagine if we actually found that damn thing? That demon?"

Dean looked at him for a moment. He didn't know what they would be walking into tonight. Which meant he had no way of knowing on how to protect Sam and keep him safe, like he had promised their father. It had been a direct order and practically his only job ever since he carried his little brother out of their burning childhood home twenty-two years ago.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, all right?" Dean stated calmly.

"I know. I'm just sayin', what if we did? What if this whole thing was over tonight? Man, I'd sleep for a month. Go back to school – be a person again," Sam said casually.

Dean shot him a confused look. "You wanna go back to school?" he asked, slightly aggravated now. He knew they were about to start a bickering match again, but he just couldn't believe his little brother. How could he leave after knowing what was out there? Then again, Sam had left their family before and gone to Stanford. He shouldn't be this surprised about Sammy's future plans.

"Yeah, once we're done huntin' the thing," Sam answered, still not having a clue yet, that Dean would throw a fit any second now.

"Huh," he stated simply, his muscles clearly tensing like he was ready for a fight.

"Why, is there somethin' wrong with that?" Sam asked innocently.

Sometimes he was just too naïve for his own good.

"No. No, it's, uh, great. Good for you," Dean replied sarcastically.

"I mean, what are you gonna do when it's all over?" Sam continued to question his brother.

Why couldn't his little brother open his eyes for once?

"It's never gonna be over. There's gonna be others. There's always gonna be somethin' to hunt," Dean told him in his calmest voice possible, trying to hide his frustrations.

"But there's got to be somethin' that you want for yourself-."

He cut Sam off before he could say more, "Yeah, I don't want you to leave the second this thing's over, Sam." Dean looked him dead in the eye. Almost as if he were desperate for his little brother to stay with him. As if he couldn't do it without Sam's help. He felt like a little lost boy.

"Dude, what's your problem?" Sam asked, still being oblivious to his brother's pain.

Dean remained silent for a moment, leaning against the dresser, trying not to look at Sam. "Why do you think I drag you everywhere? Huh? I mean, why do you think I came and got you at Stanford in the first place?" he confessed, turning around to glance at his little brother again.

"'Cause Dad was in trouble. 'Cause you wanted to find the thing that killed Mom," Sam replied, still not grasping what Dean wanted so badly.

"Yes, that, but it's more than that, man. You and me and Dad – I mean, I want us…I want us to be together again. I want us to be a family again," he said, almost pleading with Sam. He never let his vulnerability show. It made him feel weak and weakness equaled being an easy target in their world.

"Dean, we are a family. I'd do anything for you. But things will never be the way they were before," Sam explained calmly.

Deep down, even Dean knew he was right. But it was the only hope, the light at the end of the tunnel, that had kept him going all these years.

"Could be," Dean argued sadly. He held onto it for so long, he wouldn't stop now either.

Sam took a deep breath. He didn't want to hurt Dean and seeing him like this, didn't resemble the strong older brother he grew up with.

"I don't want them to be. I'm not gonna live this life forever. Dean, when this is all over, you're gonna have to let me go my own way," Sam told him and they shared a long look.

Suddenly, the door burst open and a yellow streak flashed into their motel room. It almost looked like lightning. And for a moment, Sam wasn't sure if he had spotted an actual person in the midst of all this. Papers were flying through the room, as the boys frantically tried to follow the red blur. It was way too fast to catch with normal human capacities. The chaotic swirling through their room stopped abruptly and the door was slammed shut again.

They looked at each other in confusion.

"What the hell?! Do we have an actual ghost now?!" Dean yelled, almost freaking out.

He walked over to the door to look outside again, his head turning left and right.

"Yeah, well I think Casper, the friendly ghost, wanted to warn us," Sam stated, looking at the wall of their motel room.

Dean turned around and followed Sam's gaze. There was a picture of Meg, stuck to the wall with one of their hunting knives. The word _Demon_ was scribbled across it in red lipstick.

"Huh," Dean murmured as he took a closer look.

"At least, now we know what we're dealing with," he said, turning to Sam, who nodded.

"Let's go."

* * *

The boys entered the warehouse and climbed the elevator shaft, hiding out at the gate and watching Meg as she stood in front of an altar and spoke in an ancient language.

Hayley had been hot on their heels ever since they had left the motel and had followed them to the warehouse. She hid herself behind a wall at the far end of the room. She could see the boys leaving the elevator gate and sneaking up behind some crates, and rolled her eyes. If she could see them, she was sure Meg could as well.

"Guys, hiding's a little bit childish, don't you think?" Meg suddenly said and turned around to face them. "Why don't you come out?"

Sam and Dean shared a look before walking out of their hiding space.

"Sam, I have to say, this puts a real crimp in our relationship," Meg pouted.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Sam mumbled.

"So, where's your little Daeva friend?" Dean asked her.

"Around. You know, that shotgun's not gonna do much good," Meg replied with a cocky smile.

"Oh, don't worry, sweetheart. The shotgun's not for the demon," Dean countered with a smirk.

"So, who is it, Meg? Who's coming? Who are you waiting for?" Sam questioned her.

"Hey, Sam? Don't take this the wrong way, but your girlfriend...is a _bitch_ ," Dean said to his brother, facing Meg and staring her dead in the eye.

"This, the whole thing, was a trap. Running into you at the bar, following you here, hearin' what you had to say. It was all a set-up, wasn't it?" Sam finally realized. Meg only confirmed his theory by letting out a laugh. "And that the victims were from Lawrence?"

"It doesn't mean anything. It was just to draw you in, that's all," Meg verified.

"You killed those two people for nothin'," Sam told her. His voice clearly carried some anger now.

"Baby, I've killed a lot more for a lot less," Meg shrugged, not even trying to show any kind of remorse.

"You trapped us. Good for you. It's Miller time," Dean smirked. "But why don't you kill us already?"

"Not very quick on the uptake, are we?" she answered, stepping a little closer. "This trap isn't for you," she informed them with a small smirk on her face.

Dean looked as confused as ever when ultimately, Sam seemed to realize it.

"Dad. It's a trap for Dad," he stated and looked at his brother, who looked back at a grinning Meg.

"Oh, sweetheart – you're dumber than you look. 'Cause even if Dad was in town, which he is not, he wouldn't walk into something like this. He's too good," Dean told her and that much was true.

 _He always had a weak spot though_ , Hayley thought as she listened. And she knew exactly what that was, and she was sure Meg and every other demon, John had ever been hunting, knew it too.

"He is pretty good. I'll give you that. But you see, he has one weakness," she confided in them, smiling all the way.

"What's that?" Dean asked her. He was oblivious to the fact that his father could even remotely care about him.

" _You_. He lets his guard down around his boys, lets his emotions cloud his judgment. I happen to know he is in town. And he'll come and try to save you. And then the Daevas will kill everybody – nice and slow and messy," Meg explained almost seductively, looking at the boys intensely.

"Well, I've got news for ya. It's gonna take a lot more than some….shadow to kill him," Dean replied cockily. No one would be able to kill his father _that_ easy.

"Oh, the Daevas are in the room here – they're invisible. Their shadows are just the only part you can see," Meg informed them.

 _Good to know_ , Hayley thought, eavesdropping from behind the wall. She needed a plan. She still had no clue on how to stop them _or_ Meg.

"Why you doin' this, Meg? What kind of deal you got worked out here, huh? And with who?" Sam asked her, desperate for answers.

"I'm doing this for the same reasons you do what you do – loyalty. Love. Like the love you had for Mommy – and Jess," Meg snarled.

"Go to hell," Sam muttered angrily.

"Fine. You first," Meg retorted with a twisted grin.

"Shit," Hayley mumbled behind her hiding space as she saw a shadow demon begin to rise on the wall. It knocked Sam to the ground immediately. It was fast – but not fast enough for her eyes. However, she still had no clue on how to defeat this thing, and her mind was racing.

The shadow reappeared. This time throwing Dean almost across the whole room as he landed into a stack of crates. Then it started to attack Sam again, leaving a claw-like mark on his cheek.

She needed to do something – _now_.

She sped into the room and threw Meg against the wall with a punch. But the demon got up again, stretching its neck like it was getting ready for the next round.

"Looks like your pet freak came to your rescue," Meg grinned at Hayley and then looked over to the boys, scattered on each side of the room. "Good, I've been wanting to get rid of you ever since Indiana," she declared and glanced at the masked girl with a hungry smile.

The Daevas started coming to life again, their long dark shadows slowly crawling up the walls. Hayley didn't even see it when she suddenly felt a force slam her across the room. She hit her head on a pipe and could definitely feel a few broken rips. But she had to get up again.

 _They feed off the darkness_ , she remembered. So what if she created enough light by running fast enough? At least, they couldn't touch her then.

She ran as fast as she could, circling the room. She could see the shadows backing away from the walls. She came to an abrupt halt in the middle as soon as the shadows had disappeared again. She knew it wouldn't be for long.

 _What now_ , she thought to herself. She felt helpless. How was she supposed to defeat those things? And then there was still Meg.

Meg walked toward her, her eyes fierce and ready to attack. Hayley swallowed hard, side-eyeing Dean.

"Any ideas on how to kill those things...now would be a good time," she whispered to him, vibrating her voice. Even though she wasn't sure keeping her identity a secret was still of necessity. But it felt weird talking straight to his face. They've never done that before, she realized.

But he just gaped at her as if he didn't even know which side she was on.

 _Fair enough, but not the right time_ , she thought.

" _Now_ ," she hissed at him with closed teeth. She turned to look at him straight. Dean hesitantly shrugged his shoulders and he thought he could see a flicker of helplessness in the girl's posture before she gathered herself again.

"Destroy the altar," Sam suddenly told her.

She spun around to see his face, only to see his eyes widening. It was her cue that Meg was coming back to attack her. She spun around and caught Meg's arm, which held a knife in her claws. Hayley twisted her arm until the demon let it drop to the floor. She kneed Meg in the head and kicked her across the room. Meg got back on her feet, smirking broadly at her. She was bleeding from her lower lip and licked it slowly with her tongue.

"You know, maybe next time I should possess your body. Those powers might come in handy," Meg remarked with a lingering smile.

"Can't blame you," Hayley retorted with a cocky smile, looking herself up and down. "Gotta catch me first though, bitch."

She sped towards Meg and shoved her to the ground. But Meg kicked her feet, knocking her off balance and she fell to the ground. She managed to get up again and ran to the room's center. She needed to get Meg away from the altar.

"Come on Wile E., catch the Road Runner," she challenged Meg.

The demon smiled, accepting her challenge as she ran toward Hayley again. Before Meg could grab her, she raced to the altar, leaving Meg only grasping for thin air. Meg turned around to see the girl standing by the altar, her hand resting coolly on the edge. Hayley looked back at the demon with a smile before she tipped over the table, destroying it.

"Whoopsie," the speedster stated mockingly.

Meg's eyes widened as the Daevas started climbing the walls again. The shadow demon grabbed the blonde, dragging her across the floor before it threw her out of the window. Then it finally vanished for good.

Hayley heard the crash when the body hit the street. It sounded like a million bones had just shattered. Could a demon die from this? She walked over to the window to see for herself. As she looked down, she could see Meg's body, or what was left of it, sprawled on the sidewalk, seemingly dead.

Suddenly, she heard a gun clacking. She frowned at the noise and spun around to see her suspicions confirmed.

Dean was standing a few feet away from her, clearly feeling better as he pointed his weapon at her. She glared at him and watched him grow unsure of what he was about to do. After all, she was a girl who just saved him. And she knew she didn't look the most threathening either.

Still, there was determination in his eyes to kill her.

"Dude, are you crazy?!" Sam snapped, finally getting up and walking over to his brother. He looked at Dean straight. "She just saved our asses and you wanna kill her?" he asked incredulously.

Dean just looked at him, puzzled, but lowered his gun a little.

Hayley took it as her signal to leave. She raced out of the warehouse as fast as possible before the brothers could change their minds.

* * *

The boys walked back to their motel room. Dean was complaining the whole way about how he should've just taken the shot. Even though the girl had saved them, she wasn't human and she needed to be dealt with. He had no clue _what_ she was, but he wouldn't let her get away a second time. Although, he did appreciate the skintight red leather outfit. The mask and red lipstick was a nice touch too.

"Did you see her face?" he asked his brother for the thousandth time, looking for answers to this thing.

"No, Dean, I told you – she was more of a blur than anything else. Just let it go, alright?" Sam pled with him now.

Dean made a face at him, but nodded. He unlocked the door to their room. Walking in, he noticed the outline of a figure standing in the middle of the room waiting for them.

"Hey!" he shouted as Sam turned on the light. He couldn't believe his eyes – he was here. "Dad?" he asked, stunned.

Sam seemed to be just as shocked to see their father again.

"Hey, boys," John said with smile. Dean immediately walked over to his father, grabbing him in a long emotional hug. Sam stood behind and watched them with a little sadness in his eyes. "Hi, Sam," John finally said, pulling apart from Dean and looking over to his youngest son.

"Hey, Dad," Sam said, his voice softer than usual.

"Dad, it was a trap. I didn't know, I'm sorry," Dean apologized to him.

It was stupid of him to call his father. He should've known better than to fall for a trap. His father had taught them better. He had taught _him_ better.

"It's all right. I thought it might've been," John said, looking at his boys with a warm smile.

"Were you there?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I got there just in time to see the girl take the swan dive. She was the bad guy, right?" He looked at them both questioningly.

"Yes, sir," they replied at the same time.

"Good. Well, it doesn't surprise me. It's tried to stop me before," John revealed to his boys.

"The demon has?" Sam asked, looking at his father.

"It knows I'm close. It knows I'm gonna kill it. Not just exorcise it or send it back to hell – actually kill it," he explained to his children.

"How?" Dean asked, confused.

"I'm workin' on that," John smiled.

"Let us come with you. We'll help," Sam said, earning a warning look from his older brother.

"No, Sam. Not yet. Just try to understand. This demon is a scary son of a bitch. I don't want you caught in a crossfire. I don't want you hurt," John told them.

"Dad, you don't have to worry about us," Sam stated firmly.

"Of course I do. I'm your father." He paused to take a breath. "Listen, Sammy, last time we were together, we had one hell of a fight," John said, eyeing his son.

"Yes, sir," Sam nodded.

"It's good to see you again. It's been a long time," he told his son, tears filling his eyes.

"Too long," Sam agreed.

He didn't want to fight with his father anymore and he could tell all the fighting was taking a toll on his older brother. John walked over to him and pulled him into an long overdue embrace. Sam could feel the tears coming, too, in his own eyes. And even Dean seemed to be an emotional wreck right at this moment.

It didn't last long though. As soon as they pulled apart, a shadow demon appeared in the motel room and attacked John, throwing him into a row of cupboards against the wall.

"No!" Dean yelled desperately.

But it was too late.

* * *

She had decided to walk home. Sometimes she liked moving at a slower pace, especially when she had to think. And she had a lot to think about.

Was her mission over, now that they knew they had a follower? Or was she supposed to keep going? How was she supposed to protect them if they didn't let her? And more importantly – how was she going to avoid getting shot again?

She frowned.

She had almost reached the motel. If the demon had been right and John _was_ in fact in town, then she was almost sure, he would stop by to visit his boys. And she'd get the perfect opportunity to ask him what she was supposed to do next.

Sure enough, she saw John's truck parked in an alley close to the motel. All of a sudden, she noticed a dark figure strolling away from the building.

Not just any figure – _Meg_. But before she could snatch the demon bitch, she heard loud noises coming from a motel room. And then she heard someone scream.

She burst into the boys' room faster than she had ever done before. She stopped for a nanosecond and looked around – the Daevas were back and attacking the three Winchesters.

But one of the daevas got her too and slammed her forcefully against the wall. She crumbled to the floor with grasp. She jumped back to her feet and ran in circles through the room, keeping the shadows at bay and away from the boys.

She noticed the duffle bag on the ground and grabbed it. She dug through the bag until she found a few flares.

"Close your eyes!" she yelled at the three of them as she lit up the flares.

The shadow demons immediately disappeared.

All of them still needed to get out of the room though before they suffocated. The smoke from the flares made it hard to breathe and burned in their lungs. The smoke also weakened her vision, but she managed to grab all three of them and sped them outside into the alley.

Sam was supporting his father. John had been pretty badly injured by the demons. They almost had ripped him into shreds. The boys didn't look much better though. And even she had a few scratches and broken bones. But hers would heal a lot quicker. Another perk of being a speedster.

She backed away a few steps from them, letting them go. Her hands rested on her thighs for a moment as she tried to catch her breath again. She had looked at the floor for what only could've been a second before she heard a gun cock again.

"Dean, don't shoot!" She could hear John yell, but it was too late.

She saw the bullet race at her in slow motion as her eyes adjusted to the speeding object. She could feel her body tense, energy rushing through her veins until she felt the lightning flicker in her eyes. She reached out her arm and caught the bullet between her fingers like it was nothing. Her environment resumed to its average speed.

Hayley frowned at her shooter angrily. " _Really_ , douchebag?!" She held up the bullet in her hand and threw it at Dean's feet. "Try a 'thank you' next time!" she snarked and crossed her arms angrily in front of her chest.

Dean stared at her in disbelief, his jaw dropped. Who did this chick think she is, talking to him like that? He opened his mouth to start a counterargument, but was interrupted by his father.

"Guys, stop," John intervened.

He walked towards Dean, placing a hand on his son's shoulder until he supported his father.

"What?! Wait, why?" Dean knitted his brow, looking at his dad. "She's not human! We kill her!"

Was he the only one, who still grasped the job of killing monsters in this family now?

"She's a family friend," John explained almost breathlessly.

It was frankly an overstatement. She could see by John's look on his face that he probably would have killed her back then if he hadn't deemed her useful.

"A family friend?" Dean repeated John's words doubtingly.

"Yes," John let out, still trying to catch his breath. "I told her to keep an eye on you and your brother…protect you," he stumbled out.

" _You_ told her to help us?" he asked his father in disbelief.

He never questioned that man's orders, but he could damn well protect himself and his little brother without the help of some supernatural speed junkie. "We don't need her help!"

"Dean…," his father tried to explain, but stopped.

There was nothing more he could say to his son without giving away too much. He looked over at the masked girl in the scarlet leather jacket, giving her an apologetic nod. Hayley just shrugged in response. At least, she could go home now and live her life again. Funny how she, with all her powers, was the normal one.

"Well, that was fun," she huffed, giving one last glare to Dean. She flipped him off with a mischievous grin before she disappeared into lightning, leaving the three Winchesters behind.

* * *

"All right, come on. We don't have much time. We don't know when they'll be back," Sam said trying to avoid an impending fight between his dad and Dean, for a change. He came to his dad's side, trying to support him again before walking his father over to the Impala.

"Wait, wait, wait! Sam, wait," Dean interrupted his doings and walked up to him, holding out a flat hand. "Dad, you can't come with us," he said, looking at his father with pain.

"What? What are you talkin' about?" Sam furrowed his brow in confusion.

"You boys – you're beat to hell," John argued, looking his sons up and down. They had cuts and bruises everywhere.

"We'll be all right," Dean tried to assure his father.

"Dean, we should stick together. We'll go after those demons-," Sam argued.

"Sam! Listen to me!" he yelled at him, looking at his little brother intensely. "We almost got Dad killed in there. Don't you understand? They're not gonna stop. They're gonna try again. They're gonna use us to get to him. I mean, Meg was right. Dad's vulnerable when he's with us. He – he's stronger without us around."

Dean's eyes looked desperate.

"Dad, no," Sam mumbled, glancing sadly over to his father. He put a hand on John's shoulder. "After everything – after all the time we spent looking for you – please. I gotta be a part of this fight," Sam pled with his father.

"Sammy, this fight is just starting. And we are all gonna have a part to play. For now, you've got to trust me, son."

Sam shook his head in disagreement.

"Okay, you've gotta let me go," John told them, and they stood there in silence for a while, not knowing what else to do or say before Sam patted his father's shoulder once, finally setting him free.

"Be careful, boys." John looked thankfully at his sons. He got into his truck and drove away again, leaving his kids behind to fend for themselves once more.

They watched their father drive away until the truck's taillights had disappeared into the night. Dean looked over to his brother and gestured to the Impala.

"Come on," he said as they got into the car, leaving Chicago in silence.


	2. The Secret Life of Hayley Allen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Winchester boys make their way to Central City, looking for their mystery girl. But what they find there is quite different from what they had expected.

The boys had just driven past Bloomington, Illinois, when the sun came back up, saturating the landscape with red and orange colors. Dean glanced over to his little brother sleeping soundly in the passenger's seat. He was still having terrible nightmares, but this time he seemed to be at peace.

Too bad Dean had to wake him up. He turned up the volume of the radio and started to sing along passionately to Guns N' Roses' _Sweet Child O' Mine_.

Sam startled awake, wiping away the drool from the corners of his mouth. He looked confused at his brother for a second and rolled his eyes back, sighing in annoyance.

"Dude, turn that down, will you?" Sam snapped. "Jerk."

"Bitch," Dean retorted per usual and grinned.

"Where are we going?" Sam asked his brother as soon as he felt awake enough again.

He stretched his long arms over his head as far as the confined space of the Impala allowed him to. Man, what he would give to sleep on a comfortable bed again. One that wasn't in the same room as his brother's.

"Motel. Just looking to get far enough away from Chicago as possible," Dean said, looking into the rearview mirror. He couldn't shake the feeling they still weren't entirely safe.

"You found a case yet?"

"Yup! We're goin' to kill that bitch. I don't care what Dad says," Dean said determined, a stern look on his face as he tried to focus on the road and not on the look his brother was giving him.

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed in protest. "Dad specifically told us not to kill her, and you never ignore Dad's orders."

"This is different, Sammy. If Dad doesn't see it, we have to see it through," he explained thoroughly.

"What?! Since when?" Sam gave him a puzzled look. He shook his head at Dean.

"So being… _stalked_ by some girl with superpowers, doesn't freak you out?! She's not human, Sam!"

How many times did Dean have to explain this to him? Or to his father, for that matter.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Sam said suggestively with his know-it-all smile.

"What are you talking about? What else could she be?" Dean argued, ignoring Sam.

He had never seen a monster like her before. But it didn't matter. He couldn't just let some masked girl run around. It wasn't natural. Who knew what she what do in a year? He wasn't going to take that chance.

One thing he did know: His father hadn't kept the girl alive out of the goodness of his heart. He had just used her for his own goddamn agenda. And for once, Dean didn't agree with his father's plan. He didn't need a fucking supercharged babysitter. He could damn well take care of his little brother on his own.

"Well, before I fell asleep, I did some research of my own," Sam interrupted his train of thought. "Ever read the news the past couple of months?"

Dean looked at him. He didn't remember reading anything particular the last few months, besides the usual odd cases they were working on.

"Does Central City, Missouri ring a bell?" Sam added, hoping to jog Dean's memory.

He thought intensely for a few seconds before it popped up in his head. He realized he _had_ read something about that city.

"There was this explosion about a year ago," Dean remembered. "Some lab exploded, right?"

Sam nodded. "Right, so get this – that explosion contained all kinds of particles and dark matter. And over the last couple of months, there have been reports of people being affected by the explosion. Suddenly gaining powers, like controlling the weather, bursting into flames," he explained.

Dean glanced at him confused. He had almost stopped listening when Sam used words like _particles_ or _dark matter_. He had no idea what that even meant.

"Controlling the weather? That's insane," Dean shook his head.

"I know."

They shared a look. The last thing they needed was people with godlike powers. How were they supposed to kill them? Just shoot 'em?

"Well, anyways, local police are keeping it under wraps, mostly handling those people themselves. They call them meta-humans," Sam explained further.

"Meta-humans? So you think that chick is one of 'em?" Dean asked, still not happy with the answer.

"Yeah, and I think I know who it is," Sam said with a grin.

Dean looked at him with a proud smile and patted him on the shoulder. "Look at you, Mr. Smarty-Pants. Looks like college worked out for you." Sam rolled his eyes.

"So who is it?" Dean asked, returning to his serious side.

"There is this woman, popping up all over town. Running into burning buildings, saving people, stopping bank robberies. She apparently even saved some girl's kitty from a tree," Sam said and pouted jokingly.

"Well, good for her. Still, something stinks. She's probably killing people at night," Dean retorted stubbornly.

"Oh yeah, how? By _running_ over them?" Sam asked, amused.

Dean shot him a look. "Well, yeah. I'm thinking bug meets windshield here."

"Dean, she's even helping the police catch other meta-humans," Sam threw in. But he knew it wouldn't make a difference with his brother. Dean just had to see for himself. "Look, all I'm sayin' is, don't go around shootin' her blindly. For all we know, she's just a girl that wants to help. And besides, she might have some answers for us."

Sam was dying for answers. Maybe she knew about the demon. Perhaps she wasn't even a meta-human, but another psychic kid with different abilities. Maybe she knew about his powers. Or anything. Anything, at all.

Dean glanced over to his brother, biting his lip hard before he finally managed to nod his head in agreement. "Fine. But I'm telling you as soon as that bitch turns evil, I'm shootin' her," he promised angrily.

Sam just looked amused at him and shook his head. He knew Dean would change his mind eventually. He always did.

* * *

**Central City, Missouri**

Hayley's eyes fluttered opened, stretching every muscle in her body. She sighed contently. A smile crossed her face as she looked around her small one-bedroom apartment. It felt good to finally be able to sleep in her own bed again on her _comfy_ mattress.

She sped into the bathroom and back out, fully showered and dressed for the day. She was wearing blue high-waisted jeans and an emerald green sweater, tucked in at her waist. Her brown hair fell down to her shoulders in soft waves. She added some peach matte lipstick and put her black-framed glasses on.

Frankly, she didn't need her glasses anymore. Since she gained her powers, her eyesight was more than fine. It was simply a force of habit. She had always worn glasses since her mother bought her her first pair at age six. Now it was one of the few things that still made her feel human. Besides, Clark Kent did it, and she had a double life to hide as well.

Afterward, she raced off to CC Jitters, the local coffeehouse, to get her mandatory caffeine intake before work. Her sister Iris also worked there as a barista while she finished up her journalism degree.

Initially, both Iris and Hayley had wanted to be a cop like their dad when they were young. Hayley's interest had been in the FBI, while Iris wanted to be a detective like her father. But Joe had been adamant his daughters wouldn't end up in a dangerous job.

So Iris studied journalism, wanting to become a badass reporter, and Hayley ended up behind a desk, doing forensics.

Of course, Joe's goal of keeping his daughters far away from danger went down the drain when Hayley was struck by lightning. Now, one of his daughters had super-speed while the other one decided to blog about it. All of it just meant a lot of sleepless nights for Joe.

She quickly greeted Iris at the counter and grabbed her cup of a triple espresso. Needless to say, she didn't need coffee either. But she still loved the taste and the little bonus rush it gave her system.

Standing in line at Jitters, she suddenly noticed the time. The only thing that never changed: She was running late again. On her first day back at work, no less.

* * *

The Winchesters arrived at a crime scene. Dean had floored the gas pedal all the way to Central City after their little chat. He was sure the girl got a major head jump on them, but his Baby wasn't far behind.

Sam had gathered more research on their way here. Their best bet was to swing it as FBI agents and find out what the local cops knew about their mystery girl.

So far, they knew the locals called her the _Flash_. They were sure, sooner or later, she would appear. Otherwise, Dean would draw her out. One way or another, he'd get her.

They both were dressed in suits and ties. Dean was shifting around uncomfortably in his get-up. He was sweating it a little. After all, he – or better someone who looked like him – was still wanted for murder in St. Louis since their run-in with a shapeshifter a couple months back. That nasty thing had changed into him and framed him for murder. It had made life on the road a little harder for him, to say the least.

The brothers walked over to a group of police officers, talking about a robbery that had just occurred at the local bank.

"Second robbery this week," a young white cop said, shaking his head. He had short blonde hair, blue eyes, and looked a little too neat for a cop.

"The teller I.D.'d Clyde Mardon as the shooter," an older black cop stated, walking with the young one toward the crime scene.

"What? Oh, jeez, the Mardon Brothers are back?" he asked his partner in annoyance. "I thought they both died in a plane crash last year?"

"What do we got?" Another cop walked over. He was young but way better dressed than the others. He wore a suit as well with a nice gray overcoat.

 _Captain_ , Dean guessed.

"Perps took the bank, shot out the cameras, and as a chaser, killed the security guard over there. I've got unis kicking in doors of known Mardon Brothers associates," the older cop explained to the Captain and gestured behind him at the bank.

"CSI been over it?" the Captain asked sternly.

"Uh, no," the older cop said. He suddenly seeming flustered as he tried to come up with an excuse.

"Where's Allen?" the Captain asked, now angrier, looking around.

Suddenly, a young woman came up running to the crime scene. She seemed rushed, ducking under the yellow police tape while trying to balance a cup of coffee. She almost dropped it, but gathered her posture last minute before she picked up her pace again.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," she said multiple times as she navigated through the crowd of curious observers.

"Sorry for being late…again, Captain Singh." She came to a stop in front of the Captain, smiling apologetically at him.

He looked unimpressed. "What was it this time, Dr. Allen? Did you forget to set your alarm clock?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but he continued talking over her. She couldn't blame him. Singh hated her with a passion. And not because she was a woman. He was a fairly just boss. However, she barely ever showed up at work. And if she did, she would always be late.

Leading a double life had definitely its disadvantages.

"Before you answer, I should remind you the excuse you gave last time was car trouble. Want to know why that one was particularly memorable?" He looked her dead in the eye, waiting for an answer.

She let her shoulders fold guiltily. She looked up at him with clear-blue puppy dog eyes, pursing her lips. "I…don't own a car?" she replied slowly, shrugging her shoulders. She bit down on her lower lip with a small smile. Admittingly, it hadn't been the best excuse she had given him. But it had been true: While she personally didn't own a car, the Winchesters did. And they had been busy hunting a killer ghost truck. Car trouble seemed like an appropriate description.

Judging by Singh's facial expression, he was ready to give her the usual yelling lecture. She heard it once or twice a day, depending on his daily tolerance level. It wasn't a big deal, but she still didn't particularly enjoy it though.

"She was running an errand for me," Joe jumped in. He turned to look at her, widening his eyes expectantly. "Hayley, did you get me what I asked for?" He was obviously lying, trying to save her precious ass. He waited patiently for her to catch on to his scheme.

"Yeah, yeah, I did," she mumbled, flustered. Her hands frisked her entire body up and down, looking frantically for something in her pockets. Her jeans turned up empty. Eventually, she rummaged through her sling bag. "I have it right…" Her hands were digging through her bag until she grabbed the first thing she could find. "…here."

She handed an opened chocolate bar to Joe with an embarrassing look in her eyes. She shrugged sheepishly. He frowned and grabbed it from her wordlessly, his face displeased with her improvised solution.

"I had a few bites of it," she added awkwardly.

He looked at her with the same stern expression as before, shaking his head. Joe loved both his daughters unconditionally. But a lot of times, they could wrack even his last nerve.

"I'm gonna go check out the crime scene now," she excused herself quickly and bounced away from them.

The boys had been quietly standing by, listening. As soon as the commotion cleared, they approached Joe. Hayley watched them carefully with a side-eye.

The moment she had discovered the Winchesters at her crime scene, she knew it would be a busy day for her. And frankly, she was quite surprised. The brothers had figured out her identity faster than she would have given them credit.

Then again, she _was_ on the news a lot recently. And how many girls with her abilities were out there? A scarlet suit, a mask?

Exactly. _None_.

A simple internet search would suffice.

"Uh, excuse me, sir. FBI agents Hetfield and Mustaine," Dean introduced them, flashing Joe their badges.

"FBI, huh?" he asked suspiciously. He narrowed his eyes at them and took a step forward to look more closely at their identity.

 _I'll be damned_ , Joe thought. Did those boys think they could fool him with false badges? He had seen a thousand of them in his career. And they never looked real. How people, much less actual cops, fell for them was beyond him.

The last person that had flashed him a fake badge had been John Winchester.

And suddenly, it dawned on him. Those two fools standing before him were probably _his_ sons looking for _his_ daughter. He knew those boys would come eventually. He just didn't think it would be today when he got up this morning.

He glanced over to Hayley, who looked at him with a guilty expression. He frowned and turned his attention back to the fake agents.

"And what is the FBI doing at a robbery exactly?" Joe asked them, cocking a brow.

The boys shared a puzzled look.

"We're not exactly here for the robbery, Officer…?" The shorter one answered, reaching out his hand to greet him.

"West. And it's Detective, son," Joe replied, putting on his best _scary face,_ as his daughters had always called it.

It had worked on them, and it sure seemed to work on those boys. The shorter one was already getting weaker in the knees and starting to fold a little. Joe wanted to get rid of those idiots as fast as possible. He knew they only came here to hurt his daughter.

"Of course, _Detective_ ," Dean corrected himself. He cleared his throat awkwardly, gathering his posture again. "We heard your city was being terrorized by, what do you call them? Meta-humans?"

Joe didn't reply. He just kept staring impatiently and grumpily at _Agent Pretty Boy_ and _Bigfoot_.

Dean chuckled nervously, "Anyways, HQ wanted us to check it out, so here we are. We would appreciate any information you could give us. And as soon as everything's cleared up, we'll be out of your hair in no time."

"That information is classified, so you have to excuse me if I don't just hand it to you," Joe retorted rudely.

"No, of course not, sir," the taller one now spoke, looking just as nervously at him.

Joe looked him up and down with an unamused expression. The boys stood quietly, scared to move even an inch. They had gathered their fair share of experiences with law enforcement. Still, this particular cop seemed to take his job way more seriously.

"Go over to the Captain. He's gonna check in with your supervisor. Until then, don't bother me," Joe told them off. With that, he turned his back to them and walked off. When he glanced back, the brothers were already talking to the Captain. He only had a small time frame to warn his daughter.

Joe quickly moved over to Hayley, who curiously had watched their interaction unnoticeably from the side. He grabbed her arm, pulling her aside with a glowering look.

"Are those two fake FBI agents over there by any chance John Winchester's kids?"

She pursed her lips with guilt. Joe had warned her about them so many times over the past couple of weeks.

_They are dangerous people._

_You don't think they could find you?_

_What if they hurt Iris?_

_Or you?_

Of course, she knew the Winchesters weren't someone to mess with. She had seen the arsenal hidden in the trunk of their car. She had seen what they can do with these weapons. She knew they earned their money through credit card fraud. She knew they weren't textbook good people.

But who was?

Hell, she had been steadfast not to watch those boys, arguing about it at length with John and some psychic in Kansas only a few weeks ago.

And then, she got to know them.

_Oy._

While only from afar, she could see it - the goodness in their hearts. They were just two lost kids without a home or much family. What she could see with her bare eyes was all they had: each other and a car.

Every time she watched them, she could see herself: the lost kid wanting more.

Wanting love. Wanting justice. Wanting answers.

She let out a deep breath. What was she supposed to do now? How could she convince them not to kill her? To hear her out instead?

"Well, I think they're looking for you," Joe ripped her from her thoughts.

"Yeah, I gathered," Hayley sighed.

She knew the brothers would find her eventually. It was irrational to think otherwise. She had hoped they could be friends. After all, the three of them had more in common than the boys even knew.

But judging by all of Dean's furious looks he had directed towards her at their last meeting, she knew that likely wouldn't happen. He saw her as a threat, part of all the monsters he had hunted his whole life. To him, she'd always be dangerous.

_Unless..._

Joe looked at her with worry. "They're here to hurt you?"

He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her closer to get a better look at her eyes. He could always tell if one of his daughters was hiding something by just looking at them long enough.

But Hayley shook her head. She honestly didn't believe they would. Even if Dean was deadset on killing her now, Sam probably wasn't.

She glanced over to the boys. They had just finished talking to Singh and were arguing about something again, frantically gesturing around.

At least, all that useless knowledge she had collected about them finally came in handy. If she could convince one of the boys, she could convince the other.

This wasn't over. They just needed to see for themselves.

"I have a plan. Don't worry," Hayley told her father with an assuring smile.

"Okay," he said and released her again.

* * *

As soon as the brothers had Captain Singh convinced that they were "authorized" to have CCPD's classified detail on meta-humans, he sent them over to the CSI. She was the young brunette woman from before and supposedly the leading expert on meta-humans.

Sam and Dean approached as the girl was looking profusely at the crime scene before her. She put on a pair of black latex gloves and her glasses and started to rummage through an aluminum suitcase full of forensic materials. She seemed jumbled, but Dean had a feeling she was just her usual self.

 _The clumsy damsel in distress_ , he thought. Which was exactly his type – not that he really had a specific one.

He looked her up and down, lingering maybe a little too long on her butt. But then again, her skinny high-waisted jeans framed her figure nicely. It wasn't his fault: He was practically forced to inspect it closer. It was right there in his face!

Sam cleared his throat, shooting him a sharp look. Dean's eyes unwillingly darted away from the pretty girl and annoyingly up to his little brother. He shrugged his shoulders with a smirk. Sam rolled his eyes in response.

Hayley tried hard to concentrate on her tasks, but the boys' obvious bickering presented quite the challenge not to chortle. She deserved an Oscar for keeping it in so well.

She ignored them and knelt down on the ground, narrowing her eyes as she tilted her head sideways to see better.

Dean's head went sideways as well, making himself a little smaller. He didn't care about the crime scene. He just came for the view. And lower and lower it went...

Sam hit his arm, and he jumped straight back up. "Dude!" he scolded his older brother, but Dean could hardly hide his grin.

"Getaway car's a Mustang Shelby GT500," the girl suddenly spoke. She looked up at the group of cops, who had gathered around her in a circle to listen to her analysis.

She jumped on her feet again, dusting off her pants. Then she took a closer look at the tire tracks before her. It looked as if she measured the tracks with her bare eyes. She only used her fingers as help, as she gestured widely around the evidence from every possible angle.

"Shelby's have a rear super-wide tire specific to that model. 12 inches with an asymmetrical tread," she concluded. She didn't look up once, keeping her eyes glued on the marks in front of her.

Dean nodded approvingly, "Good job." He was impressed with the girl's knowledge about cars.

"I know, thank you," she replied absentmindedly, still not giving them even the slightest attention. "And there's something else," she added, excited now.

She walked over to the group of police officers. She sneakily snatched a pen from an officer's pocket and returned back to the scene. "Fecal excrement...animal, I'd guess," she said as she scooped up some of the poop with the borrowed pen and threw it into a plastic evidence bag.

"My dad gave me that pen...before he died," the cop, whose pen she had misused, told her. He didn't seem amused at her actions at all.

She let her head fall back in defeat and groaned deeply. She knew her colleagues didn't really appreciate her genius. In fact, she was sure they hated her. She never intended to do these things and annoy them unnecessarily. She genuinely just wanted to do her job. And sometimes, she could get a little too deep into the forensics of a case, ignoring everyone else around her.

"Sorry," she said as if it were second nature to her. Which frankly, it was.

Detective West then approached her, pulling her gently to the side by her arm.

"Hayles, your ability to multi-task is truly remarkable. The way you can embarrass me, the Captain, and yourself all at the same time. You know everyone you work with thinks you're a weirdo? Which means they think _I_ raised you to be a weirdo. And I don't dig that," he told her in a scolding tone.

She bit her lip ruefully. "Joe, I'm sorry," she apologized.

Sometimes Joe was really glad he had kept his daughters out of the force. He couldn't even imagine if he had to work with both of them out in the field.

"I'm starting to think 'Joe, I'm sorry' is my actual name considering how often you say it to me. Get up to the lab. Start processing the evidence," he ordered her.

She nodded compliantly, but as soon as she turned her back to him, she rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh.

"Dr. Allen?" Dean walked up to her with a smile. She looked up at him, returning his smile.

 _Showtime_ , she thought gleefully. It reminded her of all the pranks she pulled with Iris as kids. Or that one time in college, when she pretended to be a lab assistant in a make-up company. She ended up freeing all the test animals while Iris gathered evidence for her exposé.

"Uh, just call me Hayley. Everything else makes me sound like a grown-up," she joked. The brothers chuckled with a nod.

"How old are you, anyway?" Dean asked her bluntly, earning him a jab from Sam. "I mean...you just look young for a CSI." Ironically, it was the same question the brothers themselves always received.

_You two look a little young to be marshalls..._

She laughed. "Uh, 23. I graduated high school at fifteen," Hayley offered as an explanation. 

It honestly would be less freaky if they actually knew her. After her mother's mysterious death, she just had been dead-set on finding answers. While for the brothers that had undoubtedly been hunting and juggling weapons, it had always been science for her. 

Her parents both had been scientists in their own rights. Her mother was a psychiatrist, and her father had been a general practitioner with his own little practice. Before he got a lifelong prison sentence for the murder of her mother, of course.

One of the many reasons she had decided to leave Central City behind her at the time.

It's why she became a CSI. She needed to find answers to what happened to her parents that night when she was eleven. She knew her father hadn't done it. He couldn't have. She still remembered that night as clear as day. She could never forget the night that ended her mom's life, sent her dad to prison, and drove her to be adopted by Joe and her best friend, Iris.

Dean's impressed whistling tore her from her memories.

"Wow," he stated in awe. "So you're a genius?"

"Well, when it comes to forensics, at least. Let's be honest here, you saw what happened before. They would've fired me already if I wasn't."

He laughed, nodding. It made a lot more sense to him now.

"So, what may I help you with, gentlemen?" she asked while putting some plastic bags with evidence into her silver suitcase.

"Uh, we're FBI agents Hetfield and Mustaine," Dean started to say.

But suddenly, he wasn't sure if she didn't smile a little at their names. He hoped she wouldn't be a big Metallica fan. What if she was? She knew a hell of a lot about cars, too. 

_Uh-oh_ , he realized, panicked.

"Uh-," he stuttered like an idiot, completely forgetting his train of thought.

Sam stared at him puzzled while Hayley's face carried an amused smile, watching Dean squirm.

"Uh, we were told you were the leading expert on meta-humans and hoped you could help us out. We just need some information about them," Sam stepped in.

"Yeah, it's for the bureau," Dean added unnecessarily and winked at her awkwardly. Sam shot him another sharp look.

"Oh-kay, then," she interrupted the short awkward silence. "Well, can I just see some ID?"

Sam handed her his ID expressionlessly. But Dean swallowed hard before taking his ID out of his pocket and handed it to her reluctantly. He smiled nervously at her. Sam slightly kicked his leg, clearing his throat.

Hayley's eyes lingered on their fake badges for what felt like an eternity. If she could tell which car someone drove from its tire tracks, she sure would be able to tell a fake ID from a real one.

_Right?!_

However, she handed them their badges back, smiling kindly at them. "Okay, well, I just have to quickly process those babies in my lab," she said, patting her hand on her suitcase filled with evidence. "Gonna take me about two hours. But you guys can stop by my lab later, and I tell you what you want to know, alright?"

"Yeah, okay, sounds good. Agent Hetfield?" Sam looked at his brother for confirmation. But Dean didn't respond. His gaze was somewhere else again, so Sam cleared his throat.

Still no response.

"Agent Hetfield?"

Nothing.

"Agent Hetfield?" Sam said with force this time and kicked his brother in the leg again. Dean's lower leg was pretty much bruised by the end of their conversation with Hayley.

"Hm, what?" he asked, being pulled from his thoughts.

Sam frowned at him. "We'll stop by, thank you, Hayley," he said with an apologizing smile.

"Sure, everything for the bureau, right?" She walked past Dean and gave him an amused wink before she headed off to the other cops.

Sam slapped his arm as soon as Hayley was out of sight. "Dude! What's wrong with you? You almost blew our cover!" he whined, looking at his brother, annoyed.

"What?! I thought she's gonna notice our fake badges. I panicked, okay?" Dean defended himself. "Plus, her sweater was...tight," Dean added with an innocent look.

Irritated, Sam rolled his eyes and stomped back to the Impala.

* * *

Her lab at CCPD was big. It was located on the last floor, quietly tucked away from the rest of the cops. It was much more peaceful up here than downstairs with the bustling detectives. 

The room was messy, however. Metal racks full of chemicals, evidence, and tools lined the walls. She had various papers lying around, three whiteboards, and leftover equipment from different experiments. Her lab was light-flooded, at least. She had a big window front behind her desk with a view over the entire city skyline and a giant skylight in the center of the room.

Hayley was sitting with her feet stretched out on her desk, appreciatively eating her _Big Belly_ burger. She was still waiting for the evidence to process, running the samples she had found at the crime scene through all databases. It definitely looked more like a meta-human attack than a simple human robbery.

Iris walked in and plunked her butt down on Hayley's desk. "Hey, my sister from another mister," she said with a grin. "So, Dad told me John's kids were in town?"

"Yeah," Hayley let out a hysterical laugh.

Iris never missed out on a story, but this was even quick for her. "And you didn't tell me?" she reprehended her sister.

"It just happened a few hours ago," Hayley told her.

Iris gave her a look. "Well…I wanna meet them," she said with a determined look in her hazel eyes, slapping her hands on her thighs excitedly.

Hayley only knew that look too well. She had the same one when she wanted something. "Hell no!" she protested, removing her feet from her desk.

"Oh, c'mon! Why are you and Dad the only ones who get to mess with them? Besides, I wanna know what they look like," Iris said with a shrug.

"What, why?"

"'Cause I bet they're hot," Iris grinned.

Hayley rolled her eyes at her sister. "And you know that _how_ exactly?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"'Cause, why else would you spend weeks of your life spying on them, if not for some eye candy?" Iris teased her with a grin.

Hayley slapped her arm indignantly. "Iris!" She could feel her cheeks blush a little. "Does Eddie know you talk like this?" Hayley teased her back, and Iris giggled. "Besides, you know why," she maintained with a serious look.

Iris knew better than anyone that her sister was only in this mess because she had gone after a hot story. And then she got kidnapped by vampires. "Yeah, I know," she exhaled, rolling her eyes back. "Hey, but you _are_ coming to the bar tonight, right?"

 _The bar_. Hayley had completely forgotten about it. She usually hung out there with her friends after work.

"Yeah, if Joe lets me go. I think I pissed him off again," Hayley said, biting her lower lip.

Iris laughed. "Were you weird again?" She shot her a knowing look. Her sister had always been more into science than into people. Iris had spent most of their teenage years trying to make Hayley a little more adaptable to the outside world. Nowadays, it luckily only happened when her sister got sucked into the _Twilight Zone_.

Hayley shrugged guiltily, "It's not like I'm doing it on purpose!" The sisters shared a long look before they burst into laughter.

"Well, if you're coming…bring Agents Pretty Boy and Bigfoot along," Iris suggested once their laughter died down.

Hayley raised an eyebrow. "Is that what Joe is calling them?"

"Yeah," Iris replied. The girls laughed. Joe had always been very outspoken with nicknaming their boyfriends. Not that Sam and Dean were anywhere in the vicinity of that area. But he certainly seemed to hate them just as much.

"So? Are you bringing them or what?" Iris sure was stubborn – just like her sister. That they didn't butt heads more often, even surprised them sometimes.

"No! I'm not gonna bring them, Iris. I still don't know if they're here to kill me or not. And even if _they_ don't kill me, Joe _will_."

Hayley sighed. Her eyes glanced worriedly over to her sister. She wouldn't put Iris in potential danger if she didn't have to. She had promised Joe to always look out for her. And it wasn't just Iris there tonight. Caitlin and Cisco were coming too, and the last thing she needed was the brothers meeting someone from S.T.A.R. Labs.

Iris frowned at her, capitulating for now. She leaned over her sister's desk, snatching the pack of fries, and stuffed a few of them in her mouth.

Hayley grabbed the fries from Iris' hand again. "Hands off my fries!" She shook her head at Iris, grinning. "Unbelievable."

Iris stuck her tongue out, teasingly. "I'm stress eating over my dissertation. We started selling cronuts at Jitters. I ate two today. If I don't graduate soon, I'm gonna be more muffin top than woman," she joked. Hayley giggled, but her laughter was soon interrupted by new visitors.

"Well, _I_ think you look amazing," a low voice said from behind them.

Iris twisted her back to look at the two men over her shoulder. They both were really young but wore suits and ties. The shorter one smirked at her, clearly checking her out. That earned him an annoyed look from the taller one. She looked back at her sister, raising a brow.

"Well, speaking of the devil," Hayley whispered, clearing her throat with a stern look at her sister. "Agents, thanks for stopping by," she said louder now. She got up from her swivel chair, pushing Iris gently out of the way. But her sister didn't budge an inch.

"If we're interrupting something, we can come back later," Sam offered her politely.

"Oh, no! That's just my sister...who was about to _leave_." She gritted her teeth at the last word and gave Iris a death-stare.

"Yeah, right," Iris said casually and hopped off Hayley's desk. She walked over to the door, strolling past the two men. When she was behind them, she turned on her heel and grinned mischievously at her sister. Hayley narrowed her eyes at Iris. She didn't like this one bit.

_What the hell is her plan?_

"Oh, I almost forgot! Eddie's picking me up at six, so I'll see you at seven at the bar?" she asked innocently. Hayley glared at her.

" _B_ _ar_? You know, my partner and I were looking for a good drinking place in town," Dean said and smirked at Iris. He turned his head around and grinned at Sam excitedly before turning his attention back to her.

"Well, then you should come," Iris said flirtingly. "Cops and _other_ enforcers of the law drink half off."

"Is that so? Well then, we'll sure be there," Dean flirted back, leaning in a little closer to Iris. Sam and Hayley both sighed at their siblings.

"Good," Iris smirked. She left the lab, smiling winningly at Hayley.

"So, Agents, you said you have questions?" she steered them back to topic.

"Uh, right, yeah," Sam stammered and walked over to her desk with Dean on his heels. "Do you know how many meta-humans are out there?"

She gasped with a smile. "Starting off with the easy questions, are we?" Sam chuckled. "Well, so far, we've encountered five of them over the last year. But there have been reports of a lot more people with powers, missing persons…The particle accelerator exploded over the entire city, and there's no sure way of finding out who got affected. And more importantly, _how_ ," she explained.

Talking about science always had been easy for her – she was immediately in the zone once she started.

"What do you mean by _how_?" Dean asked her with a puzzled look.

"Okay, so...for example, a couple months back, we had this meta who could replicate himself, creating a whole army of clones. And guess what the guy did for a living?" She looked at them expectantly like she was their teacher, waiting for a response from her students.

Their faces were blank.

"He was a scientist, who worked on cloning methods," she informed them.

"So the people who were affected...it always had something to do with what they did during the explosion?" Sam asked.

"More or less, yes. The blast wave of the explosion carried all kinds of theoretical elements, like dark matter or negative energy, altering people's DNA," she expatiated. "Combine them with other elements, and you can get all kinds of abilities."

"How dangerous are they?" Dean asked her.

"Well, not more dangerous than you and me, Agent," she said with a smile. She hoped if she explained it all in a way they could understand, maybe they'd let her live by the end of this.

"Just imagine Gandhi and Hitler would've been in Central City during the explosion and gained superhuman abilities. Gandhi probably would've used his powers for good, whereas Hitler…well, I'm sure you get my point, Agents."

They nodded simultaneously.

"Not all of them are bad people. I mean, they all are still humans. I bet some of them are even scared. Just imagine waking up with superpowers one day...your whole world suddenly changes." It most certainly had for her. Now she was running around in red leather, fighting crime.

"I guess," Dean shrugged. Maybe all these people had been human before. So was literally every other monster he had ever encountered. It didn't change the fact they were no longer now. However, suppose this was anything like _Spider-Man._ In that case, he could see how ordinary people would freak out over their sudden discovery of superpowers. He freaked out when Sam first started to get his visions. And it quite frankly still freaked him out.

"But how do you catch the _bad_ sons of bitches?" Dean asked.

Hayley chuckled, "Well, usually the Flash catches them and locks them up."

"The Flash? Is that the woman in the red suit?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. Now, they were finally getting somewhere.

"Yeah! So you've heard of her. I've heard she's pretty awesome." Talking about her alter ego in the third person almost felt like a habit by now. But maybe she should tone down the self-praise a little.

"You've met her?"

"Uh, no. But she's all over the news, saving people and locking up criminals," Hayley told them casually. Listing off a few of her good deeds couldn't hurt, right?

"You have any detail on her? A name or an address, maybe?" Sam suddenly spoke up again. He had been standing by quietly, listening to Dean's interview.

She shook her head, "No, sorry. She just pops in whenever and is gone just as fast. No one knows who she is."

Dean snorted internally. Maybe no one else had found her before. But he _would_.

"Okay, well, I think that'll be it for now. Can we come back if we have more questions?" Sam asked politely.

"Yeah, of course. Just stop by whenever," she replied with a smile.

"Great, thanks so much for your help," Sam said and smiled, too. He started to walk over to the door, waiting for his brother to follow.

But Dean didn't move an inch. Instead, he remained right next to Hayley, giving her his utmost compelling smile. "Just one last question, this bar tonight…where is it?"

Sam frowned at his brother again. But Hayley returned Dean's flirtatious smile, leaning in closer to him.

"Third Street and Oakley. See you there, Agent," she replied with a smirk.

Dean smiled winningly, catching up with his brother by the big metal doors of her lab. "See you there, Dr. Allen," he grinned widely before leaving.

She rolled her eyes with a light sigh. She had to give him at least _one_ win.

* * *

The brothers had returned to their motel room. They sat at a little table, crammed with newspapers dating back to the explosion. Sam was doing research on his laptop while Dean was reading article after article. They didn't even know _what_ they were looking for. Anything could have given that girl powers. Not to mention, super-speed might not be her only ability.

"Find anything?" Sam asked his brother after a while, glancing up over his laptop.

Dean sat on his chair coolly, his feet resting on a second chair, beer in one hand, newspaper in the other. "No. You?" he asked, a little frustrated. His eyes already began to hurt from reading the past hours. The letters started to blur.

"Uh, not directly. I found a blog online, which is reporting sightings of the Flash," Sam said.

Dean's interest peaked. He put his beer down and sat up straight. "Do you know who writes it?"

"Yeah, an Iris West."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Any relation to Detective West?"

"Yeah, she's his daughter. I even pulled up a picture online, and we actually met her," Sam said and turned the laptop around to show his brother the photo.

It was Dr. Allen's sister. They had met her briefly at the lab today. He still didn't know how the women could be related. Detective West had certainly talked to Hayley more like a father and less like a boss. If Iris was his daughter and Iris was also Hayley's sister, it'd make sense. His head still hurt, trying to make all of these connections.

"Well, great. I know exactly where to find her," Dean said and smirked at his brother. He knew the bar would come in handy. It always did.

Sam rolled his eyes with a groan. "Dean! Can you, maybe, not hit on the only two persons who might know where to find the Flash. I thought we wanted to get some answers!" he panted.

"I do…just relax, Sammy. We talk to her when we're there. And tomorrow after breakfast, we can go find this thing," Dean told his little brother blithely.

He got up, taking another sip from his beer before he placed it back on the table. He grabbed his leather jacket from the chair and Sam's jacket too. He threw it at his little brother before Dean walked past him, giving him a light pat on the back. He grabbed the car keys and strolled to the door, patiently waiting for his brother.

Sam eventually got up and silently followed him, glaring at him the whole time. Dean chuckled, amused, and closed the door.

* * *

Iris and her boyfriend Eddie picked her up as promised at six o'clock. The bar wasn't far from her apartment, tucked between her place and CCPD. Which was why the bar was also the local cop hangout.

By the time the three had arrived, Iris and Eddie were already entangled. He was not only Iris' boyfriend but also Joe's partner at work. It was complicated, to say the least. Hayley would've told her sister to leave it alone. But alas, she was in a coma when they met. And by looking at the two lovebirds now, she was glad she had been. She had never seen her sister happier.

Her eyes darted away from the loving couple and found her friends in the crowd. Cisco and Caitlin waved excitedly at her. She had told them the Winchesters were in town, looking for her and by association technically _them_.

However, Cisco didn't mind. He had patiently waited to finally meet the _Ghostbusters_ for weeks now. Hayley still warned him that they couldn't find out about anything. Not about Hayley, not that they knew the brothers already, and absolutely no monster related questions were allowed.

She was nervous.

* * *

Shortly after seven, the boys made it to the bar as well. The place was crowded and swarming with cops. Dean swallowed. He sincerely hoped none of them would recognize him. The fact all of them were drinking tonight certainly helped his anxiety.

Their eyes searched the room for the brunette CSI and her blogger sister. They found them chatting excitedly in the center of the bar with a couple of friends. The young blonde cop from the morning was there too. His arm was slung around Iris's waist as she giggled at him.

At least, Dean's question of which sister he'd end up with tonight had been answered.

The brothers made their way over to the group, pushing past dancing and drunk people.

"Ladies," Dean said with a grin as he approached Iris and Hayley.

"Agents, you made it," Iris said with a charming smile. Hayley thought she was enjoying this a little too much. She'd race her sister out of the bar, but that would definitely be a dead giveaway.

"Uh, this is my boyfriend, Detective Eddie Thawne. But I'm sure you guys have already met at the station," Iris introduced him, stroking his back lovingly.

"Uh, no, actually. Nice to meet you, Agents," Eddie said and held out his hand. The brothers both shook it with a polite smile. "What's the FBI doing here in Central City?"

"Meta-humans," Dean said simply.

Eddie rolled his eyes and sighed, "I'm gonna get us another round of drinks, okay?" He gave Iris a quick kiss on the lips before he left for the bar counter. 

"Eddie's still a little freaked out when it comes to the whole meta-human stuff," Iris explained.

Their hangout dynamic was a little odd at times. While Iris, Caitlin, Cisco, and Joe knew about Hayley's abilities, Eddie didn't. She had told her sister she wouldn't mind if Eddie knew. But just as she was protective over Iris, her sister was her protector too.

"Well, who could blame him?" Dean agreed.

Hayley threw him a look. That statement didn't put her at ease. She could still tell he wanted to kill her.

"Uh, so, Iris, we've heard you write a blog about the Flash," Sam chimed in.

"Yeah, I'm a journalism major. I was actually one of the first people to know about her. So I thought I write about her. Let others know too." She smiled at Sam.

"Why?" Dean asked, knitting his brow, puzzled.

" _Because_ , Agent...sometimes people need to believe in something – hope, miracles. And the Flash gives people that. I see her do the impossible every day to protect the city I love. And I think others should know too."

Dean raised his eyebrow skeptically at her. He still didn't buy any of that sunshine-y crap this whole city was feeding him.

"Have you ever actually met her?" He already knew the answer – no one had seen her.

"Yeah, I have. Several times, actually," Iris replied casually.

"Yeah, Iris is like a groupie," Hayley added jokingly. Iris slapped her arm playfully, grimacing.

"So, have we," Cisco added with a proud smile, earning him a glare from Hayley. He wasn't supposed to get unnecessarily involved, much less lead the boys to them.

"Really?!" Dean asked incredulously. "And you are?"

"Uh, this is Cisco Ramon and Dr. Caitlin Snow. They're scientists," Hayley replied.

Cisco was a head smaller than Caitlin. He had shoulder-length black hair and wore a green shirt that read _T-Rex also hates pull-ups_. On the other hand, Caitlin was a sight for herself. She had long copper-red hair that flowed down her back, enchanting hazel brown eyes, and soft pale skin.

"Yeah, we work at S.T.A.R. Labs," Cisco said with a grin.

 _Dude_ , Hayley thought. Her heart started to pound. It's like he couldn't stop telling them everything they wanted to hear. She threw Cisco a sharp look.

"S.T.A.R. Labs?" Sam asked curiously. "You were responsible for the explosion."

"Well, technically yes," Caitlin chimed in. She never liked talking about that day. Her fiance had died in the explosion. She lost as much as anyone else, if not more.

" _Technically_?" Dean furrowed his brow.

"Well, they did cause it...by accident. But they're making up for it now. They're helping CCPD with the meta-human cases," Hayley explained.

"Okay then. Where can we find her? We need to ask her a few questions," Dean demanded to know.

"I don't know. Uh, she always contacts me, not the other way around," Iris replied.

"Yeah, same," Cisco said.

Dean frowned and shared a look with Sam. If those guys knew more, they surely wouldn't spit it out.

Iris glanced past them and saw Joe talking to a pained Eddie. "Uh, would you excuse me for a second? I think I have to go save my boyfriend from my dad," she said and elegantly extracted herself from their conversation.

"We should probably head out too. Dr. Wells said he needed us back at the lab," Caitlin said with a look at Cisco.

"Yes, definitely! We should," Cisco agreed. They waved the rest of them goodbye and left Hayley to her own devices. So much for friends.

Dean stared at her with a mischievous grin until he was interrupted by his little brother. _Stupid, cock-blocking..._

Sam cleared his throat and glared at him. "I think I'm goin' to head back to the motel too. Do some more research. You comin'?"

Dean looked at him with a smile. "You go ahead, Agent Mustaine. Unless you need two people to look into a computer screen," he teased his brother.

"Fine," Sam said and gritted his teeth. "Don't stay out too long, Agent Hetfield. We have an early day tomorrow." He shot Dean one last look before he left the bar as well, shaking his head. If Dean would rather risk getting arrested for a girl, so be it.

 _Great_. Now she was completely alone.

"You sure you don't wanna join your partner? He seemed a little upset."

"Nah. He's a little needy. He'll get over it," Dean replied with a cocky smile.

She sighed internally. Of course, Dean Winchester couldn't be dragged away from a bar. But at least, this gave her the perfect opportunity to convince him not to kill her. Or just more reason to. There was only one way to find out.

"Drinks?" she asked with a smile, jerking her thumb over her shoulder to the counter.

Dean grinned.

* * *

They settled down at the bar counter, ordering a round of drinks. The sound of Blondie's _Call Me_ blasted through the speakers, drowning out the noise of chatter around them. Dean went for a beer at first but changed his order once he saw Hayley had opted for a whiskey. He looked around the room, making sure no one had gotten suspicious of him yet. Detective West, Eddie, and Iris had retreated to a booth in the corner. Iris talked mostly while Eddie looked uncomfortable at Joe's constant death-stare.

"So, Detective West, is he always like this?" He gestured with his glass in hand over to the Wests' booth.

Hayley giggled. "Uh, yeah...to people he doesn't like."

"Well, he doesn't seem to like my partner and me much," Dean chuckled.

"Mhm...you should hear the nicknames he gave you," Hayley added teasingly.

"Nicknames? What nicknames?" Dean asked her with a nervous laugh.

"Agent Pretty Boy and Bigfoot," Hayley answered and burst into laughter.

"Great," Dean mumbled, taking a sip from his whiskey.

"But he's actually a great guy. Best damn detective, too," she said with a kind smile.

"What about, uh, Cisco and...Caitlin Snow, was it?" She nodded. "What do they exactly do? I mean, how can they help against people with powers?"

"Caitlin's a neuroscientist. She's really good with DNA too. And Cisco is a genius-level engineer. He develops weapons and other tools to help stop us meta-humans," Hayley replied.

"Weapons, huh? Cool."

She smiled. Judging by his arsenal in the trunk, she figured he'd appreciate a fellow fanatic.

Dean had to admit: It wasn't the worst thing. At least, those scientists were trying to clean up their own mess.

"Can I ask you something?" he said after a moment of quiet. He had almost gotten lost in her sky blue eyes. He couldn't remember ever seeing a girl with eyes that blue. It felt like looking into an endless ocean, calming, soothing.

"Sure, if you buy me another drink," she said, smiling flirtatiously.

He grinned at her and ordered two more whiskeys. His head wouldn't thank him in the morning, but he didn't care. And Hayley's goal was just to get him drunk enough, so aiming his gun at her would be a lot harder. It was the little details of a plan that made it good.

One thing was for sure: She didn't need to worry about getting black-out drunk herself. The most devastating consequence of having super-speed: Her metabolism was too fast for alcohol to take effect. And she had tried a lot. Binge-drinking college kids had never drunk that much. It was no use. Her fate was to be forever sober.

"So, you and Iris are really sisters? I mean, don't get me wrong or anything, but you two don't exactly look alike," Dean said and almost felt embarrassed to ask. It was just way too personal. There was probably a good reason why she ended up living with a cop.

But Hayley just chuckled. It wasn't the first time she had come across this question. People were curious. But was Dean interested because he suspected her of being the Flash or because he wanted to get into her pants?

She remembered he once told Sam to _shoot first and ask questions later_. By that logic, she still seemed to be in the clear, and her nerves calmed down a little.

"Well, duh, Captain Obvious," she replied with a grin. "Iris and I have been best friends since kindergarten. Joe took me in and adopted me when I was eleven." She couldn't help but feel a little sad at the memory. She had always been grateful to live with Joe and Iris, but it simultaneously meant she didn't have parents.

"May I ask what happened?"

"Oh, uhm, my mom got murdered." She emptied her whiskey before she glanced up at him with a saddened look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Hayley," he said. He already felt pretty awful for asking. He of all people should have known to read those kinds of signals: Dead Mom – don't talk to me about it. But the sad look in her eyes disappeared and got replaced with a smile again. She had built a wall around herself, just as much as he had. He knew the pretending game just too well.

"What about your dad?" He bit his tongue. He didn't know why he kept asking her all these very personal questions. He just had to learn more about her. The why had disappeared somewhere in his second whiskey.

She shifted uncomfortably on the little bar stool. "Uh, he went to prison...kinda a long story."

He lifted his eyebrows surprised. Her father was a convict, and she was a CSI who had been raised by cop. Quite the constellation.

"Uh, yeah, no. Sorry, I shouldn't have asked," he said with an apologetic smile.

 _Dammit_. Now he owed her one.

"My mom died too...when I was four," he said quietly.

She looked up at him. His eyes stared down at the drink in front of him. His fingers circled the rim of the glass. She hadn't quite expected him to open up that much. Nevermind, she was just a stranger he had met a few hours ago. Great, now she actually felt bad for doing this to him.

 _Nope, remember he tried to shoot you_...

"My dad wasn't around much after that. It was just me and...my brother," Dean continued. He had almost slipped and said Sam's name. But then he remembered she didn't know that Sam wasn't actually his partner.

"I'm sorry too. Sucks not having parents, right?" she tried to lighten the mood and smiled.

He chuckled, nodding, "Yeah. It does suck."

"Well...I think I'm ready for some tequila now," she announced with a grin.

"What? You wanna get me drunk?" Dean smirked widely at her.

She grinned back at him, "Maybe." 

"I don't think you know what you're getting yourself into," he flirted and leaned in a little.

"Oh, I beg to differ," she said, chewing on her lower lip.

He turned eagerly to the bartender, "Uh, three shots please for the lady and me. _Each_."

"Just three? What, are you scared, Agent?" she teased him with a grin. Maybe she was getting too overboard now. Honestly, it had been a while since she'd last been drunk. She couldn't quite remember the tolerance level of an average human.

He looked at her, stunned. That girl was definitely something else. "Fine. Make it five," Dean said firmly, and Hayley giggled.

"You know, just a tip from your friendly local bartender – don't drink with her," the bartender warned him. But he wasn't just any bartender. Mike was another friend. Well, technically, her college ex-boyfriend. But now they were friends. It was complicated.

Dean looked somewhat resentful at his advice. If he only knew Mike was actually a Saint trying to save him from her.

"I think I can handle it, pal," Dean huffed.

"Just trying to give you a fair warning. That girl could drink any pirate under a table," Mike said and earned a laugh from Hayley.

"He's not wrong, though. You sure you wanna do this?" Hayley asked him with a provocative grin. Her newfound sadism apparently knew no boundaries.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Dean said cockily and downed his first shot gracefully. "Your turn."

Hayley smiled at him amused before she grabbed her first shot and chugged it down. He nodded impressed. But she didn't stop there. She right away took the second one and downed it, continuing until all five of them were gone. She placed each shot glass neatly upside down on the counter after she finished. She looked nonchalantly at Dean, who swallowed hard. He definitely had found a challenge. She didn't seem like she was even remotely buzzed, and she drank a hell of a lot more than him.

"I think you have some catching up to do," she said with a cheeky grin.

"Wow, you weren't kidding, huh?" he let out a jittery laugh.

She shook her head with a naughty smile and held out another shot for him. "He tried to warn you." Mike saluted him with a grin from behind the bar. Of course, no one knew better about her drinking habits than her personal bartender.

"Bottom's up," Hayley said with a grin, holding a shot to his face.

Suddenly almost every phone in the bar started to ring, including Hayley's. She rolled her eyes back when she looked at it.

 _Fuck,_ she thought. Another meta-human attack had occurred.

"New crime scene," she said, turning to Dean. "I'm sorry, but they need me to come down and take a look at it. Raincheck?" She got up from her bar stool, grabbing her black leather jacket. She pulled it over her dark-red flowery dress that flowed gently to her knees.

"Yeah, no, don't worry. I get it," Dean said. He was disappointed, but if there was a new crime scene, he should probably check it out as well and call Sam.

He looked back up at Hayley, who was hastily getting ready. Probably out of fear of being late again. She tucked some of her chocolate brown strands of hair behind her ear. And that's when he saw it.

She had a tiny tattoo of a lightning bolt behind her left ear. It was identical to the one the Flash was wearing on the front of her suit.

His eyes widened, but she had already disappeared out the door.

* * *

Dean had rushed back to the motel as fast as he could. As if he was suddenly the one with super-speed. He burst through the door and found Sam sitting by his laptop. He looked up at his older brother, who seemed more than out of breath. He didn't exactly want to know why and just frowned. He didn't need to hear another one of Dean's sex adventure stories.

"You won't believe this, Sammy!"

"You're home early. What's up with you?" Sam asked, unbothered.

Dean grabbed a beer from the mini-fridge and sat down on his bed, still a little breathless. "I think I found her," he finally declared and took a long swig from his beer, almost finishing the whole bottle in one go.

"What? How?" Sam looked confused at him.

"It's the hot Doctor," Dean told him and took another sip.

"What? Caitlin?" Sam asked in a high-pitched voice.

"What? No, not Caitlin. That Hayley girl."

"You might wanna tell me how you know all that?"

"She had this little tattoo of a lightning bolt behind her ear," he said and gestured behind his own ear.

"That's it?" Sam raised his eyebrow. If all of Hayley's friends were pretty much fans of the Flash, it wasn't far fetched she was a fan too.

"It's the same one the woman in the suit is wearing, Sammy. And I don't wanna brag, but I can match the ass to the woman. The red lipstick, the blue eyes, the leather..."

"Do you wanna kill her or f..."

"Of course, I wanna kill her!" Dean instantly threw in, not even letting Sam finish that sentence. He was offended. _Offended!_

"Man, c'mon! And didn't she say all meta-humans were created by something they did during the explosion? Maybe, whoever it is, got struck by lightning – I mean, lightning, electricity, speed…that could work, right? So just check if she had a freak accident during the explosion," Dean suggested.

"Wow, Dean, that's pretty damn smart, actually," Sam said with a smile.

"Thank you," Dean beamed proudly.

"And, yeah, I guess. So we just have to find out if someone got struck by lightning during the explosion…"

"…and we have our speed freak," Dean finished his brother's sentence.

Sam turned back to his laptop to look through all the different databases and records. "Got it," he said after a couple of minutes. He was shocked his brother's theory proved to be right. Dean walked over to him and looked over his shoulder at the screen. "A Hayley Allen was struck by lightning and in a coma for nine months," Sam said and looked up to his brother, towering behind him. He looked angry. "You were right. It's her."

Dean instantly grabbed the duffle bag with the weapons and threw it on the bed. He pulled out his gun and loaded it before he tucked it into his jeans behind his back. "Great, let's go," he ordered Sam.

"Dean, would you wait? You can't just run in there with a gun. Are you crazy?" Sam argued.

Dean glared at him. "Why not?"

"First of all, she hasn't done anything wrong yet."

He rolled his eyes at that. She clearly had tried to get him drunk and plotted to kill him before he could put her lights out.

"And secondly, it's a police station, and you're wanted for murder in this state. Might wanna rethink your strategies."

Dean frowned at Sam and his little-know-it-all attitude.

"Fine. What do you suggest then, huh?"

"We go see her at the lab and talk to her. Ask her why she's doing this and what she knows," Sam explained calmly.

Dean grimaced but eventually complied.

* * *

Hayley stopped by S.T.A.R. Labs. She had brought the evidence from the new crime scene here instead of her lab at CCPD, as soon as she could confirm she was dealing with another meta-human. She pulled up the suspect's profile on the big screen in the cortex. Caitlin and Cisco took a step closer to look at the man.

"And he can really control the weather?" Cisco asked with a grin, looking back at Hayley. He sounded a little too excited over a meta-human that had just killed someone.

"Yeah, Clyde Mardon. The recent robberies, they all happened during freak meteorological events," she explained. "We thought he and his brother went down in a plane crash during the explosion. But Mardon must have gotten his powers the same way I did. From the storm cloud. He's still out there. We have to stop him before he hurts anyone else."

"All right, let's see if we can locate this guy," Cisco said eagerly, clapping his hands together once.

"Good. I have to head back to CCPD. Call me when you find him," Hayley said.

"Sure, boss. Will do!" Cisco assented while chewing on a piece of licorice. "And you're welcome, by the way!" he called after her sarcastically.

Hayley looked back at him and laughed.

* * *

It was long after midnight when she was still sitting in front of her computer. The only light source was her small desk lamp and the monitor.

Clyde Mardon had killed someone today, and she hadn't been there to stop it. She knew she wasn't responsible for what other meta-humans did. But she still felt like it was her responsibility to stop them from hurting other people.

Suddenly, she heard a gun clack – a very familiar sound by now and sighed. It was only a matter of time. But she was curious what finally gave it away.

"Boys, please, I've had a very long day and an even rougher night," she said, not even glancing at the two men standing in her doorway.

"Dean! Put the gun down. You promised."

She then looked up from her desk and watched them. They glared at each other. Should she be flattered that they were bickering over her now, apparently?

"No!" he insisted stubbornly. He pushed Sam to the side, who had been trying to take his gun away.

"Dean, just let her explain," Sam argued but was cut off again.

"What's there to explain, Sammy? She's a freak with powers!" he shouted angrily and regretted it as soon as he said it. He knew what his little brother would say next.

"Oh, so you wanna kill me now too, huh? Because guess what, Dean, I have powers too," Sam said defensively.

"Yeah, I agree with Sam," Hayley joined in, getting up from her chair. 

Dean glared at her. "No one's asking you!" he yelled.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I mistook this as a fair trial, with you putting me on death row and all," Hayley said sarcastically, narrowing her eyes at him.

"This is not how this works here, Speedy," he gnashed his teeth angrily.

"Oh, I forgot, I was talking to a murderer, who doesn't abide by any laws," Hayley snapped. She was fuming now too. How dare he? She saved so many people in the past few months. She had a right to do this as much as any hunter did. Moreover, half the stuff she did wasn't even illegal, unlike the brothers who broke the rules and bent the law frequently.

Sam looked helplessly back and forth between the two quarrelers. Dean still glared at her, not lowering his gun an inch.

"Fine," Hayley said suddenly. "I really didn't want to do this, but have it your way."

Dean didn't even really see or feel anything as lightning swished through the room. He had just blinked for a moment, but his hand felt suddenly empty. He looked at his outstretched arm and could see his gun had indeed disappeared. Then he heard his gun clacking from the other side of the room.

He frowned as he glanced back up at Hayley, who coolly stood in front of her desk. She took his gun apart piece by piece and threw it behind her. Sam chuckled, which earned him another glare from his brother.

"Fine, let's talk then," Dean muttered, throwing his hands up, defeated. Hayley grinned at him winningly.

"Why didn't you tell us that it was you we were looking for?" Sam asked her, stepping carefully a little bit closer. He didn't want to scare her. She seemed like a nice and normal girl, who probably was freaked out by his brother pointing a gun at her.

"Pretty obvious, isn't it?" She said and gestured to Dean, who still kept his eyes locked on her angrily."Your brother here is a little trigger happy."

Sam sighed and nodded understandingly. Dean rolled his eyes back, annoyed at their bonding. "So you really got struck by lightning during the explosion?" he asked her curiously.

"Yeah, uh, the particle accelerator explosion also created a storm cloud. I was working at my lab here when the lightning came through the roof." She took a step closer and looked up to a big skylight, remembering the night vividly.

She had worked another long day in the lab. She had stopped by the celebration at S.T.A.R. Labs with Iris. They listened to Dr. Harrison Wells' speech, the mastermind behind the particle accelerator, before she returned to her lab. She followed the turning on of the machine on the news from her little TV screen.

But it all went so fast. She heard a _bang_. She looked out of the window and saw a mushroom cloud rise above the entire city. A wave of energy blasted through every street and every building. A storm cloud formed immediately after. She tried to close the skylight's blinds when the lightning bolt struck through the glass and the electricity caught onto her.

The next thing she remembered was waking up nine months later at S.T.A.R. Labs, opening her eyes to Elton John's _Rocket_ _Man_ and staring into the baffled faces of Caitlin and Cisco.

And that's when her adventure really started.

"I also fell into the chemical rack over there," she gestured behind her. With the force of the lightning bolt and all these poisonous chemicals in her system, she really was lucky to be alive. "I was in a coma for nine months. My heartbeat kept stopping, and the doctors didn't know what to do with me. Until I got moved over to S.T.A.R. Labs. Turned out my heart never stopped. It was just too fast for any normal EKG to register it."

"S.T.A.R. Labs...so Caitlin and Cisco? They help you?" Dean cocked his brow, surprised. Did he just run into the Avengers? What the hell was going on?

"Yeah, they've been helping me catch other meta-humans."

Dean crossed his arms, puffing out his chest. "And how do you know our dad?"

She exhaled deeply before she replied, "A couple of months ago, there were a couple of vampires in Central City-."

"Vampires? I thought there was no such thing," Dean cut in again.

"Yeah, your dad thought they were extinct too, but he was pretty sure they were vampires," Hayley replied. Dean looked at her, somewhat pleased with her answer. "Anyway, one of them got a hold of Iris and took her back to their nest. I tried to get her back but almost got myself killed if it weren't for your dad."

"He saved you?" Dean asked doubtfully. "I'll buy the almost dying part, though."

She glared at him. "He only found out I had powers later. He contacted me a few weeks after that. Asked me if I could keep an eye on you two. So I said yes. Felt like I owed him one," Hayley said and glanced over to Dean.

His expression had cooled a little, and he didn't look like he wanted to bite her head off anymore. "For how long?"

"He never specified. He just told me to keep you safe. Nothing more," Hayley explained, and the brothers frowned. "Said he had to hunt the demon that killed your..." She stopped short before she finished her full sentence. She glanced briefly at Dean, who avoided looking at her, and stared down at his feet with pursed lips.

"Sounds like Dad," Sam mumbled. The boys shared a knowing look.

"Yeah, but why not tell us?" Dean asked, still in disbelief.

"I have absolutely no clue," she said. And it was a blatant lie. But she was way more scared of John than Dean. Besides, John's explanations had never made much sense to her, to begin with. "You'd have to ask your dad that question. This whole thing wasn't my idea. And for the record, I told him it was stupid multiple times." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest. _That_ was the truth.

"Yeah, I bet he took that really well," Sam chuckled, and Dean shot him a sharp look.

"What about Detective West and your sister? Do they know about you?" Dean questioned her. He was still looking for something to pin her down with. He just needed _one_ good reason. And honestly, it didn't even have to be _that_ good.

"Yes, they know, Dean. They're my _family_." She looked him straight into his eyes when she said those words. This time she was fast enough so he couldn't look away. She knew that word meant something to him.

Their staring contest got abruptly interrupted when Hayley's phone rang.

"Cisco?" she said, picking up.

" _Hey, I just got a ping. Atmospheric pressure dropped 20 millibars in a matter of seconds. I've tracked it to a farm just west of the city_ ," Cisco told her.

She walked back over to her computer and looked at the map in front of her. "I'm on my way, thanks," she hung up.

She looked up to the boys. "Okay, look, you've heard my story, and I think you can tell I'm a good person. I didn't choose this. I was normal. I went to school, I had friends, a family, I worked here, and that was it."

Sam looked at her sympathetically, while Dean stared obstinately at the floor tiles in front of him.

"So if you wanna kill me, then go ahead and kill me. But I have a city to save first, okay?" She gathered her things before she bolted for the door. The fact she didn't use her super-speed for that was just courtesy of hers.

"Okay, but we're coming with," Dean insisted resolutely.

She furrowed her brow. "No, you're not going anywhere. Mardon already killed someone today. No one else is dying on my watch tonight. You two stay here. I'll be back soon," she commanded them and whooshed out of the lab.

"I hate that," Dean groaned frustrated, referring to Hayley's powers.

"You know, she sounds a bit like you," Sam added with an amused chuckle.

"No, she doesn't. Shut up!" Dean stomped over to Hayley's computer and wrote down an address on a piece of paper. "Come on. Let's go catch us a meta-human, Sammy," he announced.

Sam couldn't believe it, but his brother almost sounded a little bit excited at the prospect of it.

* * *

The brothers arrived at an abandoned farmhouse a few miles outside of the city. They got out of the Impala, taking their guns out of the trunk and whatever else they could possibly need before they snuck quietly to the barn.

"Dean, you don't even know what this meta-human can do. How are you going to kill it?" Sam whispered.

"It's part human, Sam. That means I can just shoot it."

"Yeah, because that worked out so well with you and Hayley," Sam muffled.

"You wanna make friends with every monster now, huh, Sammy?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying…"

"Well, I don't really care. Let's just get this over with." And with that, Dean ended the conversation and slid carefully into the barn, Sam not far behind him. They found a decent hiding spot behind some hay bales and ducked behind them.

"Hands behind your head, Mardon. You're arrested." Hayley stood in the middle of the barn, face to face with a scrawny looking blonde man. She was fully suited up, wearing her mask that only covered her eyes. Her hair was up in a ponytail, and she had put the red lipstick on, which pretty much meant serious business.

"You got me," Mardon cackled. "The night of the storm, after S.T.A.R. Labs blew, after our plane went down, and I woke up on the ground alive, when I saw what I can do, I understood. I am God," he marveled.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Great, another douchebag with an ego," he muttered to Sam.

"Shut the hell up," Hayley reprimanded Mardon.

"Turn around," Mardon told her.

As she did, she could see Sam and Dean standing behind her, guns raised, but this time not for her, at least. She still frowned; she had told them to stay away.

"Do you think that your guns can stop God?"

"Why in the hell would God need to rob banks?" Dean challenged, earning him a sharp look from Hayley.

"You're right. I've been thinking too small," Mardon replied, a crooked smile crossing his face.

He raised his hands high above him. And with them, a giant storm cloud rose, slowly forming into what looked like a full blown tornado. It ripped through the roof of the barn with ease. Shrapnel and broken wood got flung around. The three of them looked at the monstrosity in horror.

" _Hayley, this thing's getting closer. Wind speeds are 200 Miles-per-hour and increasing_ ," she heard Cisco's voice through her earpiece.

She sighed relieved. She had missed Cisco's and Caitlin's voices in her head when she had been on missions with the boys the past weeks. It was surely nice to have your friends around.

" _Hayley, can you hear me?_ "

"Yeah. Loud and clear."

" _If it keeps up, this could become an F-5 tornado. But it's headed towards the city_ ," Cisco explained.

"How do I stop it?"

There was no answer.

"Guys?" Hayley asked, a little panicked by now. If this thing hit the city, a lot of people would die.

"Can you unravel it somehow?"

She spun around and looked at Sam. She contemplated his idea.

"How the hell is she goin' to do that, Sam?" Dean asked his brother. There was just no way of stopping this thing now. He definitely couldn't shoot a tornado.

"I could run around it in the opposite direction, cut off its legs," Hayley said. Dean looked at her, baffled.

" _Hayley, you'd have to clock 700 Miles-per-hour to do that_ ," Cisco said in her ear.

"700 miles?" She panicked. That was a lot faster than usual.

" _Your body may not be able to handle those speeds. You'll die_ ," Caitlin told her worriedly.

"I have to try," Hayley said. There was just no other option. She could do it.

The tornado had torn the barn fully to shreds. She grabbed the brothers and sped them outside, hiding them behind their car from any flying debris that might come their way. They watched in shock as the tornado grew bigger and bigger. It was massive at this point.

 _Goodbye, Missouri,_ Dean thought. But Hayley didn't seem scared. And if so, she hid it quite well behind her mask.

She ran towards it and kept circling it, running faster than she had ever done before. However, it didn't seem to work. She could feel her body give in to the weight of it all. She felt tired, and her legs felt heavy. Her lungs felt like they would explode any second now.

She glanced over to the boys, who watched her with mouths wide open. She just had to make it. Millions of people depended on it.

She closed her eyes, and even though she thought it would be impossible to run even faster, she did. The electricity filled her system and coursed through her body, giving her the boost she needed. The wind started to become weaker. And suddenly there was a loud _bang._

The tornado crumbled into itself, leaving Clyde Mardon at the center of it. He looked stunned that his masterplan hadn't worked.

"I didn't think there was anyone else like me," Mardon said. He pulled a gun from his pocket and pointed it at her.

 _Not this again_ , she frowned.

"I'm not like you. You're a murderer," Hayley told him.

He smiled at her and was ready to pull that trigger as she got ready to catch the bullet. Another _bang_ echoed through the empty fields. A shot this time.

Mardon collapsed to the ground in front of her with a bullet wound in his heart. She turned around and looked baffled at Dean. He had actually saved her. Unnecessarily, but still. It counted.

"Douchebag," he muttered, shaking his head at Mardon. Hayley and Sam burst into laughter.

* * *

She accompanied the boys back to the Impala. They had finally made their judgment call, and she was granted a probation period – Dean's words, not hers.

"You know, usually we don't kill our meta-humans here, just lock 'em up," she lectured him with a teasing look on her face.

"Yeah, well, he was a killer. Which makes him a monster in my book. And _we_ kill monsters," Dean argued.

"Fair enough," Hayley smiled at him.

"What, no snarky remark?" He looked at her surprised.

"Nope. Some people aren't as judgmental as you are, you know," she grinned at him.

And for the first time, he smiled back at her. And meant it too.

"So you still wanna kill me?"

"No, but, uh, keep up the bad jokes, and I still might," Dean joked.

"Does this mean you're going to let me help you?" She stood there with a soft smile, arms crossed, bobbing back and forth on her heels. She was eager to help them.

Dean furrowed his brows and closed the car trunk before he turned to her. He looked at her sternly. "No," he replied harshly. "Look, I appreciate what you did. But we don't need your help." He got into the driver's seat and started the engine.

"Dean!" Sam called out after his older brother, frustrated. He looked commiseratively to Hayley, shrugging with a sigh. "Thank you, Hayley. I'll call you when something's up." She nodded her head with a smile.

"Sam!" Dean yelled impatiently from the car.

Sam hopped into the Impala, and the Winchesters drove away into the distance again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you wanna make my day, drop a comment below or send me some love :)
> 
> Stay safe & stay kind! <3


	3. Hell House

After leaving Central City in the rearview mirror, the brothers caught a whiff of a new case. They were on the road again, heading towards Richardson, Texas. Dean was driving as usual and glanced over at Sam. His little brother was dead asleep with his mouth wide open. Dean fumbled around the car before he found the plastic spoon he was looking for. He carefully placed it in Sam's half-open mouth. Of course, he also had to take a photo of it with his cell phone before he turned up the music, singing along to Blue Oyster Cult's _Fire of Unknown Origins_.

" _Fire...of unknown origins...took my baby away!_ " Dean belted out the lyrics loudly and started to drum to the song's rhythm on the steering wheel.

Sam startled awake, jumping up from his seat. He noticed something in his mouth and threw his arms around, spitting out the spoon. Dean grinned widely at him.

"Haha, very funny," Sam remarked, annoyed. He turned down the music again and narrowed his eyes at his childish brother.

Dean chuckled. "Sorry, not a lot of scenery here in East Texas, kinda gotta make your own," he explained coolly.

"Man, we're not kids anymore, Dean. We're not going to start that crap up again."

"Start what up?" Dean looked innocently at him.

"That prank stuff. It's stupid, and it always escalates," Sam said, pouting.

"Aw, what's the matter Sammy, scared you're going to get a little Nair in your shampoo again, huh?" Dean teased him.

"All right, just remember you started it," Sam warned him.

"Uh-huh, bring it on baldy," Dean challenged with a grin.

"Where are we anyway?" Sam looked outside the window but couldn't recognize anything specific about the landscape. It all looked the same after a while. He didn't even know how long he had been asleep.

"A few hours outside of Richardson. Gimme the lowdown again," Dean said.

Sam pulled out a newspaper and opened it on his lap. "All right, about a month or two ago, this group of kids goes poking around in this local haunted house," he read from an article.

"Haunted by what?" Dean cut in.

"Apparently, a pretty misogynistic spirit. Legend goes, it takes girls and strings them up in the rafters. Anyway, this group of kids see this dead girl hanging in the cellar," Sam explained.

"Anybody ID the corpse?"

"Well, that's the thing. By the time the cops got there, the body was gone. So, cops are saying the kids were just yanking chains."

"Maybe the cops are right," Dean suggested.

"Maybe, but I read a couple of the kids' firsthand accounts. They seemed pretty sincere."

"Where'd you read these accounts?" he asked skeptically.

"Well, I knew we were going to be passing through Texas. So, uhm, last night, I surfed some local…paranormal websites. And I found one," Sam told him, a little embarrassed.

Dean rolled his eyes. Those paranormal investigators were the pain of every hunter's existence. They were reckless, they never knew what they were actually doing, and most of them were nuts on top of that.

"And what's it called?"

" _Hell Hounds Lair. com._ "

"Lemme guess, streaming live out of Mom's basement," Dean chuckled.

"Yeah, probably," Sam laughed.

"Yeah. Most of those websites wouldn't know a ghost if it bit 'em in the ass," Dean said with a grin.

It was just one more reason why this case was probably a made-up scam like _Area 51_ and _Roswell_.

"Look. We let Dad take off – which was a mistake, by the way. And now, we don't know where the hell he is. And you also didn't want Hayley's help for some reason…," Sam sulked.

Dean threw him a sharp look. "Oh, don't start this up again. We don't need her help, Sam. How many times do I have to tell you?"

Sam had been pestering him ever since they left Missouri to accept Hayley's help. Sure, he could see Sam's side of having one more person here to help. According to their dad, they were up against something major. Which was the exact same reason Dean didn't want to involve more people: more people helping meant more people could get killed. Not to mention that he'd end up responsible for all of them, not Sam.

"Fine." Sam rolled his eyes at him. "But in the meantime, we gotta find ourselves something to hunt. There's no harm checking this thing out," he said, trying to keep the peace between the two of them.

"Alright. So where do we find these kids?"

"Same place you always find kids in a town like this," Sam replied and smiled knowingly at Dean.

* * *

**Richardson, Texas**

The boys drove to the local diner, fittingly called _Rodeo Drive._ They interviewed the three teenagers that supposedly saw a ghost in that house. The only problem was, their stories varied greatly from each other. The kids couldn't even agree on the victim's hair color. However, they all heard the story from the same person – a guy named Craig, who worked at the local record store.

So, the brothers were on their way to the music shop, posing as reporters for the _Dallas Morning News_. Being a hunter was mostly a lot of legwork. Driving from A to B, all the while dressing up and pretending to be someone you're not. And only after all of that did they get to kill something. Sometimes.

"Maybe we should call Hayley with this thing, Dean. She seems good at solving puzzles. We could use her eyes," Sam suggested.

Dean frowned at him. He stopped walking and turned around to face Sam.

"Would you let it go already? I told you we don't need her, so we don't need her, Sam!" Dean bellowed angrily, his brow furrowed.

He spun around on his heels and walked into the store without saying anything further. Sam sighed and followed his persistent brother. The boys took an innocent look around the store, surfing through the music collection as they were approached by a guy.

"Fellas, can I help you with anything?"

"Yeah, are you Craig Thurston?" Sam asked.

"I am," Craig replied with a nod. He was young and looked like the typical college kid.

"Well, we're reporters with the _Dallas Morning News_. I'm Dean, this is Sam," Dean introduced them.

"No way. Well, I'm a writer too. I write for my school's lit magazine," Craig told them.

"Well, good for you, Morrissey," Dean wisecracked, and Sam shot him a look.

"Uhm, we're doing an article on local hauntings, and rumor has it you might know of one," Sam cut in.

"You mean the Hell House?" Craig asked.

"That's the one," Dean responded with a smile.

"I didn't think there was anything to the story," Craig said. He wrinkled his brow, confused.

"Why don't you tell us the story?" Sam looked at him softly.

"Well, supposedly back in the '30s, this farmer, Mordechai Murdoch, used to live in this house with his six daughters. It was during the Depression. His crops were failing, he didn't have enough money to feed his own children. So I guess that's when he went off the deep end," Craig recounted.

"How?" Sam asked.

"Well, he figured it was best if his girls died quick, rather than starve to death. So he attacked them. They screamed, begged for him to stop, but he just strung 'em up, one after the other. And when he was all finished, he just turned around and hung himself. Now, they say that his spirit is trapped in the house forever, stringing up any other girl that goes inside," he stated.

"Where'd you hear all this?" Dean asked him, cocking an eyebrow.

"My cousin Dana told me. I don't know where she heard it from. You gotta realize, I…I didn't believe this for a second," Craig told them, getting a little upset.

"But now you do?" Sam asked.

He looked at the kid. Craig seemed genuinely scared of something he saw in that house. The story was believable as well. Murdoch's life story was violent enough to continue into his afterlife. He was basically classic poltergeist material.

"I don't know what the hell to think, man. You guys, I…I'll tell you exactly what I told the police, okay? That girl was _real_. And she was dead. This was not a prank. I swear to God, I don't wanna go anywhere near that house ever again, okay?"

"Thanks," Dean said and nodded.

Maybe there was a case after all.

* * *

After talking to witnesses, the brothers' next stop on every hunt was to hit up the local library. They needed to research this allegedly murderous farmer and see if Craig's story actually checked out.

Dean decided to wait for Sam outside. Libraries were more his little brother's kind of thing. He was just waiting to get to the killing part.

It didn't take too long before Sam strolled back out again. His face looked somewhat disappointed.

"Hey. What you got?" Dean asked.

"Well, I couldn't find a Mordechai, but I did find a Martin Murdock who lived in that house in the '30s. He did have children but only two of them, both boys, and there's no evidence he ever killed anyone," Sam said, frustrated.

He should have known the kid's story was just a baseless legend. Now they were back to square one.

"Huh."

"So…I called Hayley for help. She's on her way," Sam said quickly under his breath, already expecting his brother's incoming temper tantrum.

"You did _what_?!" Dean's brow furrowed, and his face turned a dark-red.

"Hey, guys."

Dean recognized the chipper voice behind him instantly. The brunette was standing next to him, sipping on a disposable coffee cup with a small grin. She was wearing a cherry-red leather jacket and some ripped black jeans. The jacket, however, wasn't her usual suit attire. There was no lightning bolt emblem on the front, and it looked like a standard biker jacket.

 _Thank God_ , Dean thought. Not that he had expected her to show fully suited-up in broad daylight. He tried to ignore her and instead kept his eyes focused on Sam.

"Dean, c'mon, we've got nothing so far. We could use her help with this," Sam reasoned.

"I told you not to call her. We don't need her help! How many times do I have to tell you that, huh?"

"You didn't tell him?" Hayley shot Sam a displeased look.

Sam nodded guiltily.

"Well, that's mature," she huffed, crossing her arms.

"I'd say so," Dean agreed with her for once.

They both looked at each other, stunned at their agreement. They shifted uncomfortably before they frowned at Sam again.

"Look, guys, we can stand here and keep fighting or go work this case," Sam tried to prevail on them.

Hayley and Dean just stood there silently, trying to avoid eye contact with each other.

"Okay, I take that as a yes," Sam sniggered. "Hayley, did you find anything?"

"No, not yet. I hacked the local police records and checked the missing persons. No one matching the girl you described. It's like she never existed," Hayley replied.

"Yeah, you were right, Sammy. She's _very_ useful," Dean mocked.

She glared at him.

"Dude, come on, we did our digging, man, this one's a bust all right. For all we know, those kids made up the whole thing."

"Dean, we haven't even checked out the house yet. That's sloppy even for you," Sam countered.

He knew Dean just wanted to get out of this case even more once Hayley joined them. Too bad Sam didn't really care.

"All right, fine. We'll go tomorrow morning. Right now, I say we find ourselves a bar and some beers." Dean grinned at them and proceeded to get into the Impala.

"Of course," Hayley sighed.

She had a feeling hunting with the boys would mean wasting at least some time at a bar. Not that she didn't mind drinking, but she'd prefer to finish a case first and reward herself after.

She started to proceed to get into the car but was stopped by Sam's hand. She looked up at him, confused. Did he not want her to come now? He called her!

However, he grinned at her mischievously before leaning down to look through the passenger's seat window.

Hayley followed Sam's amused gaze to Dean, who was about to turn the key to the ignition. Suddenly, loud Latino pop music started blasting through the stereo, and Dean jumped up in his seat. But as he tried to turn it off, the windshield wipers turned on instead. He reared back and quickly tried to turn everything off now.

Hayley and Sam burst into laughter as they got into the car. Sam licked his finger and painted an imaginary _1_ into the air before pointing to himself. His revenge for the spoon had been a success.

"That's all you got? Weak. That is bush league." Dean shot his brother an embarrassed look as he pulled out of the parking spot.

* * *

The next morning, it was later than expected when the three arrived at the Hell House. Hayley and Sam had a hard time getting a hungover Dean out of bed. Afterward, she had disappeared and told the boys she'd meet them there.

Dean had been surprised. He had expected her to be a pain in his ass, especially while they were out drinking. He actually had more fun with her than he usually does with Sam. She was the appropriate amount of sociable, half-decent at pool, and drank _a lot_ more. But Dean already knew college girls were good at that (although the last point still baffled him). It still wasn't a good enough reason to drag said college girl out on a hunt and get her killed.

As the brothers were getting out of the Impala, Hayley came to a halt right next to them. She had a black S.T.A.R. Labs sweater on, hanging half off one shoulder. She had a small silver suitcase slung across her chest and carried two paper bags.

"Hey, guys," she chirped almost melodically.

Dean groaned before grabbing his head in pain. "Please, no happy people in the morning," he grunted.

Sam and Hayley chuckled.

"Aw, I'm sorry, gramps," Hayley teased him.

"I'm 26," Dean protested with a glare.

"Are you too hungover for breakfast?" Hayley raised a brow expectantly and held up one of the brown paper bags to him with a grin.

"Awesome." Dean grabbed it eagerly, almost drooling on the floor.

Sam took his bag with a thankful smile.

"How come you're not hungover? I saw you drink those ten tequila shots," Dean asked with his mouth still full of breakfast burrito.

Hayley giggled. "You realize I _can't_ get drunk, right?"

Dean stared at her, baffled. "What?!"

"Huh. You really thought I can drink a bottle of tequila, considering my size and weight, and not drop to the ground?" She cocked a brow.

Dean shrugged.

"You really can't get drunk, Hayley?" Sam asked her with a curious smile.

To him, her powers were fascinating. And a lot more fun than his. All he got was nightmarish visions.

"Nope. Sadly, my metabolism just burns right through the stuff." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, that explains a lot. And kinda sucks, actually," Dean commented.

He felt a little relieved. He had almost doubted his ability to out-drink a girl.

"Yeah, tell me about it," she sighed.

The brothers quickly finished breakfast while Hayley looked around the property. The alleged Hell House was an old, abandoned farm home, overgrown with weeds. The windows were broken, and almost all the paint had chipped off the outside walls.

"Yeah, that doesn't look creepy at all," Hayley remarked as she joined the boys back at the front entrance.

"Can't say I blame the kid," Sam agreed.

"Yeah, so much for curb appeal," Dean said as he took out his EMF meter. It was beeping.

"I don't think it'll work. Power lines still seem to be semi-active," Hayley said and gestured to the wires above their heads.

She and Cisco still hadn't figured out how to solve the powerline interference problem. It also wasn't easy to get a hold of ghosts to test it out with.

"Yeah, it's no good. It's screwing with all the readings," Dean said and pocketed his meter again. "Come on, let's go inside."

Hayley and Sam followed Dean as he led the way inside the house. They had to step carefully as the home's structures weren't the most stable anymore either. The walls inside were littered with graffiti of different symbols, old and new.

Dean walked around the room, whistling. "Looks like old man Murdock was a bit of a tagger here in his time."

"And after his time, too. That reverse cross has been used by Satanists for centuries. But this sigil of sulfur didn't show up in San Francisco until the '60s," Hayley said nonchalantly. She had entered full-on geek mode, and she knew it.

Dean stared at her. "You read up on some lore?"

"Yeah, Sam send me so-," she started but stopped herself, looking apologetically at Sam.

Dean glared at him. "Man, I told you not to drag her into this."

"Dude, he's not dragging me into anything. You know, unlike, oh, I don't know...your _dad_ ," Hayley countered sarcastically.

Dean rolled his eyes.

"Besides, I've learned some of this stuff in my criminology class in college. You can thank people like Charles Manson for that one," she noted.

Sam chuckled, but Dean still didn't feel less tense.

"Yeah? Maybe, you can use it in your weekly book club once I drag your ass back to Central City," Dean huffed.

She shot him a sharp look, but he ignored her and moved across the room to look at one of the tagged symbols on the walls.

"Hey, what about this one, you seen this one before?" Dean asked, glancing at her.

Hayley took a step closer to look at it, narrowing her eyes through her glasses. It looked like a cross with an upside-down question mark in the middle.

"I guess it kinda looks familiar," she finally said. "But it's not satanical."

"Yeah, I've seen it somewhere, too," Dean added.

Sam joined them and rubbed on the symbol. His fingers were red and sticky as he pulled them away. "It's paint. Seems pretty fresh, too." He took a photo with his cell phone.

"Really? Probably those kids you interviewed earlier," Hayley mused. She pulled out her fingerprint kit and took a few samples from the area around the symbol.

"I don't know, Sam. You know I hate to agree with authority figures of any kind, but…the cops may be right about this one," Dean said.

"Yeah, maybe," Sam agreed, nodding his head.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise coming from another room. The boys were straightaway on alert, taking positions on either side of the door. Hayley didn't even bother to move, and Dean grimaced at her before giving Sam a nod.

They busted the door open and were instantly blinded by a pair of flashlights being shone in their faces. Hayley walked up behind the brothers and looked at the two nerdy guys standing in front of them.

"Oh, cut. It's just a couple of humans," a redheaded guy with glasses and a beard shouted and switched off his camera.

The second one was a small young guy with short black hair. He was holding a big flashlight in his hands.

"What are you guys doing here?" the redheaded one asked.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" Dean retorted.

"Uh, we belong here? We're professionals?" the redhead replied.

"Professional what?" Dean questioned and raised his eyebrow.

"Paranormal Investigators," he answered and handed all three of them his business cards. "There you go, take a look at that, boys. And since the lady has my number now, maybe she can give me hers?" He winked at Hayley.

She didn't even look up at him. "No," she replied concisely.

Sam and Dean looked at her coldness and chortled.

 _Poor little guy_ , Dean thought.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me," Hayley muttered from behind them, looking at the business card in her hands.

Dean and Sam finally looked at their own and rolled their eyes, too.

 _Stupid paranormal investigators_ , all three thought.

"Ed Zeddmore and Harry Spengler. _Hell Hounds Lair. com_. You guys run that website," Sam said.

At least now, he could put a face to the crap. It made sense.

"Yeah," Ed, the redhead, replied somewhat proudly.

"Oh yeah, yeah, we're huge fans," Dean said sarcastically as he strolled around the room that used to be a kitchen once.

"And uh, we know who you guys are too," Ed told them. All three of them shot him a sharp look.

Did they know they were hunters? Did they know Hayley was the Flash?

"Oh, yeah?" Sam asked challengingly.

"Amateurs," Ed replied coolly.

Dean turned away from him, rolling his eyes. He absolutely hated these people.

"Looking for ghosts and cheap thrills."

"Yup. So if you guys don't mind, we're trying to conduct a serious scientific investigation here," Harry spoke up for the first time.

"Really? A _scientific_ investigation, huh?" Hayley mocked and raised an eyebrow at these two dorks. She really hated it when pseudoscientists threw around the term _science_. And it was even worse when idiots tried to explain actual science to _her_. It was just plain offensive.

"Harry, why don't you tell 'em about EMF?" Ed suggested mysteriously at his companion.

"EMF?" Sam asked, obviously playing dumb.

"Electromagnetic field? Spectral entities can cause energy fluctuations that can be read with an EMF detector. Like this bad boy right here," Harry said and pointed at his EMF meter. He walked over to Hayley. "It's physics," he whispered with a wink to her.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and narrowed her eyes at him. Dean chuckled at the sight. He was secretly hoping she'd clock the guy one.

"Whoa. Whoa. It's 2.8mg," Harry shouted excitedly as he turned the meter on.

"2.8. It's hot in here," Ed commented, fanning himself.

Dean whistled in pretend admiration, while Sam and Hayley gave their best to look stunned without breaking into laughter.

"Huh. So you guys ever really seen a ghost before, or...?" Dean questioned with feigned interest.

"Once. We were, uh, we were investigating this old house, and we saw a vase fall right off the table," Ed replied.

"By itself," Harry added in a whisper tone.

"Well, we…we didn't actually see it, we heard it. And something like that...it, uh, it changes you," Ed said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I think I get the picture," Dean said with a small smile to Sam and Hayley. "We should go, let them get back to work."

"Yeah, you should," Ed agreed spitefully.

* * *

The rest of the day, the three spent in the library before heading back to the motel to do even more research. Unfortunately, they couldn't find _anything._ Nothing suggested even closely that the creepy old house was haunted. Dean wanted to leave town – more than that, he wanted to get rid of Hayley. He didn't like it one bit she was here, but Sam had insisted on staying at least one more night, just to make sure the Hell House was just a house.

However, they woke up in the middle of the night to a couple of police sirens racing by the motel. Hayley was up in an instant, jumping up from her sleeping place on the couch. She had insisted on taking it. She couldn't even imagine either of the boys would fit on it comfortably. And she could always sneak out and sleep in her own bed miles away if it ever became too intolerable.

She sped to her laptop at the little dining table in their room. She stretched herself with a big yawn before her fingertips hit the keyboard, and she hacked into the Richardson Police Department's database. More specifically, their last 911 calls.

"Well, that's not annoying at all." Dean sat up in his bed and grimaced at her.

He hadn't even fully blinked once before she was already back at work. She hadn't even sat down but leaned casually against the table, her eyes glued to the blue screen. At least she was still in her sleeping attire, an oversized white shirt and red pants with a lightning bolt on her…

"Stop, looking at my butt," Hayley said, not even batting an eyelash at him, her eyes still focused on the screen.

He frowned. _How did she know?_

"I'm not the one who's wearing their own underwear," he mumbled almost inaudibly.

Hayley giggled a little, shaking her head at his pouting. But her facial expression soon turned grim. "Dammit. A body was found at the Hell House," she said and looked at Sam, who was still stretching in his bed."Guess it's real after all."

The brothers shared a look.

"Let's go," Dean said and got simultaneously with Sam out of bed.

* * *

A bunch of police cars and an ambulance were parked outside the old farmhouse. A body bag was carried out on a stretcher as the three approached an older man standing outside.

"What happened?" Hayley asked the man sadly, her eyes not being able to leave the body bag.

"A couple of cops say a girl hung herself in the house," he explained.

"Suicide?" Sam furrowed his brow and took a step forward.

"Yeah, she was a straight-A student, with a full ride to UT too. It just don't make sense," the man said, shaking his head painfully.

Hayley turned on her heels and started walking back to the car, the boys on her heels, trying to catch up with her. Even at human speed, she was walking fast.

"What do you think?" Sam asked them.

"I think, maybe we missed something," Dean replied with a frown.

"We should've saved that girl," Hayley said, not turning around.

"We can't save everybody," Dean told her unambiguously.

"Well, maybe we should try harder," Hayley snapped back and spun around, looking at him harshly.

When he didn't reply, she headed for the car again and got in. She simultaneously loved and hated crime scenes. She loved the science about it but hated the body count. It was something that would always frustrate her.

"Yeah, it was a great idea to bring her along, Sammy," Dean said cynically. He knew if they didn't manage to kill her, they'd at least traumatize her.

Sam exhaled, frustrated. He'd imagined it would be easier making them all work together.

* * *

The three waited until sundown before they decided to return to the Hell House. It looked even spookier at dark. But a police car was also parked outside, and two officers stood guard.

So, they hid in a couple of bushes not far from the house, thinking about their next move.

"I guess the cops don't want anyone else screwing around in there," Sam said.

"Yeah, but we still gotta get in there," Dean said.

"I could just run in there. They wouldn't even see me," Hayley suggested, and Sam nodded.

"You're not going in there alone. This thing is after girls." Dean looked at her sternly.

She rolled her eyes back. "Exactly my point," she argued.

"Absolutely not. You're just gonna get yourself killed," Dean hissed, irritated.

She was ready for another round of arguments. She wouldn't let Dean boss her around when she managed to keep two million people safe every day back home. And yes, maybe, ghosts were a little different, but she could also always just run back out screaming.

However, their conversation was interrupted by whispers in the distance. Dean peeked out from their hiding spot to see where the commotion was coming from. He grimaced when he recognized the two silhouettes creeping through the woods, fully packed with all kinds of different gadgets.

"I don't believe it," he mumbled.

Hayley and Sam spun around to get a look at Dean's view.

"Great. Looks like Tweedledee and Tweedledum are here." Hayley let out a deep sigh, watching Ed and Harry struggle through the covert.

"I got an idea," Dean said with a grin.

He rose up slightly, turning to the cops. Sam and Hayley watched him curiously.

"Who you gonna call," Dean yelled, cupping a hand to his mouth.

The cops' eyes darted around and found a baffled Ed and Harry. The two quickly gathered their things and ran away as quickly as they possibly could. The officers finally left their guard and started to chase after them.

Dean's prank finally bought them some time to check out the house. Hayley quickly grabbed the boys and raced them inside.

Sam was still laughing about Ed and Harry before he realized he was already inside the house. It was pretty neat. He could definitely get used to this. His knees would thank him. He could finally ditch the ducking and sneaking around.

Dean, on the other hand, was baffled. "What the hell did you do that for?" he asked her, irritated before he grabbed his stomach. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Sam and Hayley chuckled at his discomfort.

"You'll be fine, big boy," she told him with a wink.

He glared at her, but not as much as he wanted to. His stomach was still turning. Meanwhile, Sam grabbed their shotguns filled with rock salt and handed both of them one. Dean grabbed his gun and turned on the flashlight. But Hayley hesitated at the sight of the rifle in Sam's hands. She had never really been a gun person, never really needed to.

"I'm good, thanks," she said and tried to keep her cool.

She walked over to the fireplace instead and grabbed an iron fire poker. Dean shot her a look but decided to let this one slide. Besides, he wasn't sure if he wanted her running around with a gun. He didn't even know if she could shoot. And he wouldn't find out tonight.

"Where have I seen that symbol before? It's killing me," Dean said, frustrated, as he shone his flashlight on the weird question mark symbol again. It hadn't left his mind since they had been here the first time.

"Come on, we don't have much time," Sam hurried them.

They snuck down to the basement and looked around. Hayley walked over to some old, dusty shelves. A few jars filled with obscure liquids stood on the racks. She picked up a jar with some pale yellow fluid sloshing around inside and looked at it curiously. She assumed they used to be old mason jars once filled with jam.

Dean grabbed it from her hands and observed it himself before turning to Sam. "Hey Sam, I dare you to take a swig of this."

He smirked at his little brother. But Sam only shot him a look that was more annoyed than amused.

"What the hell would I do that for?"

"I double dare you." Dean chuckled but got harshly ignored by Sam.

Hayley raised an eyebrow at Dean and shook her head with a smile. "Looks like apple. If you're lucky, it might've turned into cider," she noted.

"See, Sammy?" Dean grinned provokingly.

Suddenly, their joking was interrupted by strange noises coming from a wooden cabinet on the other side of the room. The boys immediately moved over to it, nodding at each other before they opened the door. A few rats scampered out of the cupboard. They squeaked as the bright flashlight scared them out of their home.

"Argh! I hate rats," Dean cried out and lifted his feet, trying to avoid the fleeing fur monsters.

"You'd rather it was a ghost?" Sam sniggered.

"Yes," Dean answered in honesty, frowning.

Sam was still laughing when he noticed Hayley's eyes widen and instinctively turned around. Dean did the same, his reaction only a few seconds behind Sam's.

 _Mordechai,_ the brothers realized at the sight of a black figure rising from the shadows. He raised his arms with an ax in his hands and took a swing at them.

Hayley's eyes adjusted immediately to the threat. She raced over to the boys and pushed them out of the way and into the walls. More forcefully than she had planned. But they seemed to be fine throughout their groans. It was harder than she had expected, but at least the brothers wouldn't get hacked to pieces.

However, she wasn't fast enough to save her own ass, and the ax brushed her left arm, leaving a bleeding gash on her biceps. She cried out at the piercing pain.

 _Man, ghosts could be mean_ , she thought as she held onto her arm to stop the blood flow.

But Mordechai was ready to hit again. She flinched her eyes closed, expecting the ax to strike her again when Sam shot at the figure twice. Unfortunately, the ghost didn't even quiver at the rock salt.

Luckily, it gave her enough time to speed away. Dean then took another shot at the spirit, who then abruptly evaporated into thin air.

"What the hell kind of spirit is immune to rock salt?" Sam questioned, perplexed as he helped Hayley back to her feet.

She had crouched down next to them. It was as far as she could make it. The pain in her arm was killing her.

"I dunno. Come on. Come on, come on!" Dean hurried them to the stairs.

Sam and Hayley had almost reached the stairs when the spirit reappeared. It smashed its ax into the shelves with jars, burying Dean underneath it.

Sam attacked the apparition before it could go after Dean again. Hayley raced over to him, helping him get up. He grabbed onto her, and they bolted upstairs while Sam was still fighting with the ghost.

"Go! Get outta here!" Sam shouted as Mordechai swung his ax at him.

He managed to get a grip on its handle and ducked his head in time. The spirit's ax smashed into an electrical box behind him, and sparks went flying everywhere.

Sam used the distraction and followed after Dean and Hayley. They ran as fast as they humanly could to the front door. Dean didn't even entirely open it but just darted through it, and pieces of wood flung around. They almost knocked over Harry and Ed, who stood on the front porch, holding a camera.

"Get that damn thing outta my face," Dean yelled as the three blew past them and headed for the Impala.

Mordechai had already reappeared inside the house, and for the first time, even Harry and Ed saw a real ghost. They started to scream, but the spirit vanished. The two police officers then came back and arrested the pair.

* * *

Sam and Dean stormed into the tiny motel room. They pushed Hayley to sit down on one of the beds. Dean ran into the bathroom for the first-aid kit. He knew Hayley's wound needed stitching. He saw the ax cut through her flesh and right to the bone. He was surprised she hadn't made a fuss about it during the car ride. Maybe she wanted to seem strong. He glanced over to her. She sat quietly on the bed, observing the swirling chaos around her.

"Guys, I don't think this is necessary," she said as Sam pulled the sleeve of her sweater up to clean the wound.

"You lost a lot of blood. You need stitches," Dean growled at her.

He knew she would get hurt. Even though she did it while saving them.

"No, guys, seriously. It's alright. I'm fine," she told them sincerely, but Dean ignored her.

Hayley felt like it was her first day at CCPD all over again. No one respected her, no one took her seriously, and no one listened to her. But eventually, she had earned her colleagues' respect. They still didn't take her seriously, but at least they listened.

"No, you're not fine. Now, shut up," he barked.

She could tell Dean wasn't there yet.

"Uh, Dean…," Sam said carefully as he looked down at Hayley's injury.

"What?!"

"I think she's right," Sam said.

Dean walked over to the bed and looked at Hayley's arm. The deep cut was a mere scratch. Had he imagined her getting hit that hard? Was his anxiety actually making him delusional?

"How the hell…," Dean started to say, utterly baffled.

"I also heal quickly. Guess I should have mentioned that, huh?" She looked up at Dean with a smile and bit her lip guiltily.

Dean rolled his eyes at her with a frown.

"That's pretty neat." Sam chuckled.

"Yeah, especially when you have a tendency to get yourself killed," Dean panted.

Hayley scowled at him. "Hey, I saved your ass too, you know," she snapped back.

"Yeah, about that – I thought Mordechai went only after chicks?" Dean pointed out.

He jumped on his bed with a pen and paper and leaned back comfortably. He started drawing the weird question mark symbol he had been obsessed with. "And what the hell is this symbol? It's buggin' the hell outta me. This whole damn job's buggin' me," he complained.

"According to the story, he's only supposed to attack women," Hayley affirmed him.

"All right. Well, I mean, that explains why he went after you and Sam, but why me?" Dean grinned at his little brother.

Sam shook his head. " _Hilarious_. The legend also says he hung himself. But did you see those slit wrists?"

"Yeah," Dean nodded.

"What's up with that? And the ax, too," Sam mused.

"Ghosts are usually pretty strict, right? Following the same patterns over and over?" Hayley asked, looking from one brother to the other.

Sam's reading list had been quite useful to her.

"But this mook keeps changing," Dean said.

"Exactly. I'm telling you, the way the story goes…wait a minute," Sam said as he pulled up the website on his laptop.

"What?" Hayley arched an eyebrow as she walked over to take a look at the screen.

"Someone added a new post to the Hell Hound site. Listen to this. They say Mordechai Murdock was really a Satanist who chopped up his victims with an ax before slitting his own wrists. Now he's imprisoned in the house for eternity." Sam frowned.

"Where the hell is this going?" Hayley knitted her brow, confused. She hated puzzles she couldn't solve. Her CSI brain would soon explode if they didn't solve this case.

"I don't know, but I think I might have just figured out where it all started," Dean responded and got up from his bed, taking his little drawing with him.

Dean had figured out that the symbol wasn't of a religious nature. Instead, it was the logo for a band – the Blue Oyster Cult. So, they stopped by the record store again and talked once more to Craig.

He was reluctant to talk to them at first. But Dean was pretty persuasive. It was also helpful that Hayley threatened to take the kid's fingerprints if he didn't spill the story willingly. After all, she had taken samples from the crime scene. And her main suspect was right in front of her. He seemed like a tagger too.

The kid finally cracked and told them the truth: He and his cousin Dana had made the whole thing up. They had painted different symbols from music to theology on the walls. They also invented Murdock's origin story to make the house look haunted and prank some locals. Eventually, the story reached Ed and Harry, who put it on their website. However, once people turned up dead, Craig became scared.

But none of it explained the very real Mordechai.

* * *

They returned to the motel, defeated. Sam decided to take a shower while Hayley was doing more research on her laptop. This case was bugging her now too. She wasn't familiar with the supernatural world, so she turned to her safe haven instead – the Internet. It always had provided her with answers before.

She was so focused on her screen, she hadn't even noticed the newest scheme Dean was up to. She had almost forgotten the brothers' pranks were still on-going. She glanced over to him, standing at the foot of Sam's bed, fumbling around with his clothes.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What the hell are you doing?"

He jumped up at her question, feeling caught. "Nothing," he shrugged his shoulders.

"Are you putting itching powder in Sam's clothes?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Shhh, okay, yeah. Just be quiet and play along," he told her.

"Sure," she chuckled. "Did you know they used to put tarantula hairs into itching powder?"

"Ew, really?" He grimaced briefly but shrugged it off and went ahead with his prank.

"So, I think I might have a theory about what's going on," she said.

Dean raised a brow. "Oh, yeah?"

"What if Mordechai is a Tulpa?" Hayley suggested as Dean swirled through the room, still trying to hide all the evidence from his mischief.

"Tulpa?" he asked, thinking about her theory. He hadn't heard of anything like that before.

"Yeah, it's a Tibetan thought-form," she explained.

"Yeah, I know what a Tulpa is," he asserted conceitedly. He wouldn't let the rookie think he didn't know anything.

Dean knocked on the bathroom door. "Hey Sam, get dressed! I wanna go grab something to eat."

He smirked excitedly while Sam got dressed in his tampered clothes.

* * *

They decided to grab some burgers and coffee at the _Rodeo Drive_ diner. It reminded Hayley of the joint Judge Reinhold worked at in _Fast Times at Ridgemont High_. She didn't suppose he worked here too. Let's be honest: She would have more likely fallen for Damone anyway. Or worse – Spicoli.

The brothers had settled themselves at a small table as Hayley walked over with their tray of coffees. Sam was still trying to adjust himself as the powder worked its magic. Dean helped her with the cups, placing one each in front of Sam and him.

Hayley took out her laptop and pulled up the site she had found earlier. While the page was loading, she grabbed three packs of sugar and poured them into her coffee.

"You taking any coffee with all that sugar?" He gave her a look.

"Yeah, quadruple espresso to be exact," she said, avoiding to look at him. She knew Dean was only trying to provoke her, and she'd be damned if she would let him.

"Oh, _good_. Because you need even more energy," he said sarcastically before looking at Sam, who was still scratching away at his jeans. "Dude, what's your problem?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," Sam assured his older brother.

"So, uh, all right. What about these Tulpas, Hayley?" Dean asked and looked at her.

He could see she was in geek mode again. Her eyes were focused on the screen, the lights of the display mirroring in her glasses as she sipped thoughtfully on her coffee.

"There was this incident in Tibet in 1915. A group of monks visualized a golem in their minds. They meditated on it so hard, they actually brought it to life," she explained and looked at the boys.

"So?" Dean threw her a puzzled look.

"Dean, that was only 20 monks. Imagine what 10,000 Internet users could do. I mean, this Craig kid starts the story about Mordechai, then it spreads, and goes online," she explained.

"And now there are countless people all over the world believing in this bastard," Sam finished her thought.

"Now, wait a second. Are you trying to tell me that just because people believe in Mordechai, he's real?" Dean looked at them incredulously.

"I don't know. It could be," she shrugged. "You're the experts."

Sam shifted back and forth in his seat as he looked through the research on Hayley's computer.

"People believe in Santa Claus. How come I'm not getting hooked up every Christmas?" Dean joked, trying not to glance at Sam.

"'Cause, you're a bad person. And because of this," Sam replied and turned the laptop around to Dean.

It showed a photo of one of the Hell House symbols that had been tagged on the walls.

"That's a Tibetan spirit sigil. On the wall of the house. Craig said they were painting symbols from a theology textbook. I bet they painted this, not even knowing what it was. Now that sigil has been used for centuries, concentrating meditative thoughts like a magnifying glass. So people are on the HellHounds website, staring at the symbol, thinking about Mordechai…I mean, I don't know, but it might be enough to bring a Tulpa to life," Sam said, siding with Hayley. He grimaced and scratched his jeans again, trying to adjust to a more comfortable position.

"It would explain why he keeps changing," Dean added.

"Right, as the legend changes, people think different things, so Mordechai himself changes," Hayley theorized.

"Like a game of telephone. That would also explain why the rock salt didn't work," Sam mused.

"Yeah, because he's not a traditional spirit," she concluded.

"Looks like the geek squad was busy," Dean chuckled.

They shot him a dirty look.

Dean cleared his throat at their death stare. "Okay, so why don't we just, uh, get this spirit sigil thingy off the wall and off the website?"

"Well, it's not that simple. You see, once Tulpas are created, they take on a life of their own," Hayley explained.

"Great. So if he really is a thought-form, how the hell are we supposed to kill an idea?" Dean asked.

He was getting frustrated again. He looked over at Sam, who was still desperately trying to adjust himself. He wanted to laugh so bad.

"Well, it's not gonna be easy with these guys helping us. Check out their home page," Sam said and showed them the Hell Hounds site again.

These idiots had posted the video from last night online.

"Since they've posted the video, their number of hits have quadrupled in the last day alone," Sam said.

"Huh. I got an idea. Come on," Dean said and sprung up from his seat.

"Where we going?" Hayley asked him as she gathered her things.

"We gotta find a copy store," he explained, still not making any sense.

Sam rose up from his seat as well, jiggling and scratching away. "Man, I think I'm allergic to our soap or something," he lamented.

Dean finally burst into laughter as they headed for the door, giving away his prank.

" _You_ did this?" Sam asked and looked furiously at Dean, who just continued laughing at his little brother.

"You're a fucking jerk," Sam proclaimed.

"Oh yeah," he admitted with a big grin.

Hayley shook her head at them with a smile.

* * *

After the copy store, they stopped by the trailer park where Ed and Harry were set up. Dean looked at Hayley and Sam with a wide grin on his face before he pounded against the door. They heard all sorts of different noises coming from the trailer.

Dean had actually come up with a decent plan. And the way those nerds had looked at Hayley, he knew it would work too.

"Who is it?" Ed's voice echoed from inside.

"Come on out here, guys, we hear you in there," Dean said like a big bad wolf waiting for the two little piggies to come out.

They heard more noises, and then the trailer door opened. The two stuck out their heads carefully.

"Ah, would you look at that! Action figures in their original packaging – _shocker_ ," Dean muttered under her breath.

Hayley chuckled, but Sam shot him a look.

"There actually worth a lot," Hayley informed him.

"Hm," Dean nodded.

"Guys, we need to talk," Sam said, looking at Ed and Harry.

"Yeah, uhm, sorry guys. We're, uh, a little bit busy right now," Ed replied.

Hayley sighed. She could tell these two yahoos were high as fuck right now.

"Okay, well, we'll make it quick. We need you to shut down your website," Dean said, but Ed just laughed at him.

"Man, you know, these guys got us busted last night, spent the night in a holding cell…," he explained.

"I had to pee in that cell urinal...in front of people. And I get stage fright," Harry chimed in, seemingly shivering at having to relive that memory.

The three of them had to suppress their laughter.

"Why should we trust you guys?" Ed asked.

Hayley took a step in front of the brothers and put on her puppy dog eyes. "Look, guys, we all know what we saw last night, what's in that house. But now, thanks to your website, there are thousands of people hearing about Mordechai," she explained, trying to appeal to their good side.

"That's right. Which means people are gonna keep showing up at the Hell House, running into him in person, somebody could get hurt," Dean weighed in.

"Yeah, yeah…," Ed said, thinking about their words.

"Ed, maybe he's got a point, maybe…," Harry started to say but was immediately interrupted by Ed.

"Nope," Ed replied stubbornly, shaking his head.

"No," Harry reiterated, following his friend's lead.

"We have an obligation to our fans, to the truth," Ed said, almost patriotically.

"Well, I have an obligation to kick both your little asses right now," Dean barked at them.

"Dean, hey, nevermind, alright?" Hayley said, gripping his arm, pretending to hold him back. He glanced at her.

"I honestly wanna bitch slap those guys too. I mean, we could probably even tell them that thing about Mordechai. But they're still not gonna help us. Let's just go," she pouted, gesturing the boys back to the Impala.

"Whoa, whoa," Ed and Harry threw in. Their interest had suddenly peaked again.

Dean looked at them for a moment but turned to Hayley again. "Yeah, you're right."

The three turned to leave, and Ed and Harry expectantly tailed them.

"What you say about…?" Ed said and tried to run in front of Hayley.

"Hang on a second here," Harry told her, looking at her anxiously.

She didn't stop, though, and neither did the brothers. They completely ignored the two.

"Wait, wait," Ed called after them.

"What thing about Mordechai, you guys?" Harry asked.

Hayley sighed deeply and stopped.

"Don't tell 'em, Hayley," Dean warned her.

"But if they agree to shut the website down. Dean, we could save lives here," she argued, sulking.

"They're not going to do it, you said so yourself," he reminded her.

She grimaced and nodded.

"No, wait. Wait. Don't listen to him, okay? We'll do it. We'll do it," Ed promised her.

"It's a secret, Hayley," Dean said, grabbing her arm like she had done before and looked at her.

She side-glanced to Ed and Harry before throwing Dean a defiant look. He scowled at her but could hardly keep his grin hidden.

"Look, it's a huge deal, alright? And it wasn't easy to dig up. So only if we have your word that you'll shut everything down," she said, and the two guys nodded excitedly.

"Totally," Ed swore.

"All right," Dean said and handed them some files.

"It's a death certificate from the '30s. We got it at the library. Now according to the coroner, the actual cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Sam explained.

"That's right. He didn't hang or cut himself," Dean said with a proud smile.

"He shot himself?" Ed asked.

"Yup. With a .45 pistol. To this day, they say he's terrified of them," Hayley confirmed.

"Matter of fact, they say if you shoot him with a .45, loaded with these special wrought-iron rounds – it'll kill the son of a bitch," Dean said.

Ed and Harry giggled delightedly. Harry immediately bolted and raced back to their trailer. Ed, on the other hand, decided a slow backward-walk was the less obvious choice.

"Harry! Slow your roll, buddy. They're gonna know we're excited," Ed called after Harry and started running too.

Hayley looked at the brothers and grinned. "That was fun."

"Nice job," Dean agreed with a smile.

* * *

They waited out the change of the website at another diner. Hayley's eyes were glued to her screen again. This time, she was working her actual job and processing some case files for CCPD. But Captain Sign would be mad at her either way when she got back. Her one sick day had extended itself quite a bit.

The boys, on the other hand, occupied themselves with more pranks. Dean kept pulling the string of a hideous wooden figurine of a fisherman hanging on the wall. It would let out the most awful laugh every single time he pulled it. Sam eventually became so annoyed that he put super-glue on Dean's beer bottle while his brother used the restroom.

Of course, Dean's hand became stuck. Hayley freed him again in their motel room. Luckily, she had brought some nail polish remover.

By dusk, they headed back to the Hell House. Enough time should have passed by now, so they could try and kill the spirit for good. Dean had stolen the stupid figurine from the diner. Sam took it, running through the bushes before he set it off as a distraction for the cops. He ran back to their hiding spot, where Dean and Hayley were waiting for him. As soon as they saw the officers leave the house and follow the sound, the three moved in.

However, Dean had made it clear to Hayley he wouldn't be raced anywhere ever again. She had chortled but complied nonetheless.

The brothers were immediately on alert as they entered the house, drawing their guns. And although she knew it was the only thing that could stop the spirit, Hayley still refused to carry one. They should have come up with a story that was useful to her too. Maybe Dean had done it on purpose.

"If he comes after you, you run. Understood?" He said, looking at Hayley firmly.

She opened her mouth to argue but stopped. She knew there wasn't much she could do. This was all their territory. So she just nodded at him. She didn't find it necessary to tell him she'd race them out with her as well.

The boys systematically searched the house, staying back to back to each other. They kept an eye on Hayley as well, who was tightly holding on to her iron fire poker despite knowing it wouldn't work.

"I barely have any skin left on my palm," Dean told Sam caustically as he readjusted his gun. His hand was completely chapped.

"I'm not touching that line with a ten-foot pole," Sam said with a smile.

Dean shone his flashlight in Sam's face until he winced and his smile disappeared again.

"You know, for a doctor, you did a pretty terrible job of fixing my hand," Dean complained and looked at Hayley.

"Not a medical doctor, Dean, just a PhD," she said.

"Yeah? In what? Being annoying?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "No. Actually, I have a PhD in physics, chemistry, and computer science, to be exact." Hayley grinned at him.

"Where did you go to school, Hayley?" Sam asked her curiously.

"Uh, MIT."

"Boston, huh? Why not Harvard?" Dean joked.

"Oh, their physics program pretty much sucks. MIT also has better technology. I mean, duh," Hayley said casually.

Sam chuckled. He had already suspected Hayley went to a good school once he heard she graduated high school at fifteen.

Dean whistled. "Freak."

Hayley shook his head at him with a smile, and Sam chuckled before they moved into the next room.

"So, you think old Mordechai's home?" Dean asked and looked back at Hayley.

"I don't know," she replied.

"Me either," a voice said from behind them.

Hayley spun around and hit it with her poker before she realized who it was. She had just struck Ed in the groin, who crouched down in pain, holding on with both hands to his crotch.

Sam and Dean turned around as well and pointed their guns at them before letting them drop. They burst into laughter.

"Sorry," Hayley said. She looked ruefully at the poker in her hand and then back at the brothers. "But pretty solid hit, though, right?"

She grinned, and Dean winked at her, giving her a thumbs up.

"What are you trying to do, get yourself killed?" Sam asked the two idiots as soon as the laughter had died down again.

"We're just trying to get a book and movie deal, okay?" Ed said, catching his breath as he was still in pain.

Dean rolled his eyes at them, but the brothers were immediately back on alert. They heard noises coming from the basement. It sounded a lot like the sharpening of knives. Hayley shivered at the thought of a psychopathic thought-form with sharp objects. The ax hadn't been fun.

"Oh, crap," Ed muttered her exact thoughts.

Sam and Dean towered over Hayley, building a wall to protect her. Ed and Harry crowded in close behind her, but still holding up their camera. Hayley shot them a sharp look.

"Uh, guys, you wanna…you wanna open that door for us?" Ed asked cowardly behind Sam's back.

"Why don't you?" Dean challenged him.

Their argument was deemed unnecessary as Mordechai burst through the door himself. He was holding his ax, screaming. The brothers emptied their gun chambers at the apparition. It wavered until it disappeared into mist again.

They waited a moment. Then the brothers checked out the other rooms to make sure it was gone. Hayley stayed with the Hell Hounds to keep an eye on them.

"Oh, God. He's gone. He's gone," Ed cried out, relieved.

"Did you get him?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, they got him," Ed replied, but Harry shook his head at his friend.

"No, on camera, did you get him on camera?" Harry asked him before grabbing the camera. "Let me see it, let me see it," he said excitedly before flipping it open.

Hayley frowned at them.

Suddenly Mordechai reappeared, slamming his ax straight through the camera in Harry's hands. Hayley's eyes widened as Harry got knocked to the ground. Even she hadn't seen this coming. But the spirit vanished as fast as it came.

"Hey! Didn't you guys post that bullshit story we gave you?" Hayley asked them, just as Sam and Dean came running back into the room.

"Of course, we did," Ed responded.

"But then our server crashed," Harry said.

Hayley rolled her eyes and sighed deeply.

"Yeah," Ed confirmed.

"So it didn't take?" Dean asked, raising a brow.

"No," Hayley answered for them and shot the brothers a look.

They didn't have a plan B.

"So these, these guns don't work," Dean said, frustrated. "Great. Any ideas, guys?"

Dean looked at his brother and Hayley. They both shrugged their shoulders at him.

"We are getting outta here," Harry declared. He grabbed Ed and headed for the door, running past Dean into the other room.

But Mordechai appeared before the two, and they started to run in another direction, screaming. Mordechai chased after them as they reached the front door. It didn't open.

"The power of Christ compels you, the power of Christ compels you. The power of Christ compels you," Ed repeated useless lines from _The Exorcist_ as he sat there, crouched down on the floor, holding on to his friend.

Hayley quickly grabbed them and raced them outside. She left them somewhere in the woods and sped back into the Hell House. They would find their way back eventually. At least, she hoped. She made a mental note to check up on them later.

As she came to a stop in the old living room, Mordechai reappeared, ready to attack her with his ax. Apparently, he was mad she had stolen his next victims away. Sam quickly jumped in front of her and managed to grip the ax. But Mordechai slammed him against the wall, pinning the wooden handle of the ax to his throat.

"Get out of here, now!" Sam yelled at Hayley.

But she sped to Dean instead.

"What are you doing? Get the hell out," he growled at her.

"I have an idea. We should just burn the house down," Hayley suggested.

Sometimes singing helped her think. In this case, that one Talking Heads song got stuck in her head.

 _Burning down the house... Nope! Concentrate, Hayles._ She was getting hungry, too.

He thought about it briefly. "How?"

She disappeared into lightning but came right back. This time she carried two heavy canisters with kerosene. She handed one to Dean, and they started to pour it all over the house.

"Dean!" Sam yelled from the other room.

Dean looked at Hayley worriedly.

"Go! I'll finish it," she assured him. She'd be faster without him anyway.

But he didn't move. He knew how the stories ended once the hero left the girl alone.

"I'll be fine, just go," she ordered him, and he grudgingly ran into the other room.

Sam was still pinned to the wall with Mordechai's ax. Dean held up a spray bottle, lighting the gas, and a cloud of fire shot at the ghost.

"Go, go, go!" He shouted, giving Sam cover as he ran past Dean.

He followed Sam towards the exit and stopped on the porch.

"Mordechai can't leave the house, we can't kill him – we improvise," Dean said as he held up his lighter and threw it into the room before running far away from the house.

"That's your solution? Burn the whole damn place to the ground?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow at his brother.

"Well, wasn't really my idea. It was Hay-," he started to say, looking around. "Where is she? Have you seen her get out?" he asked Sam, concerned.

His throat closed. He knew he shouldn't have left her alone. He was about to run back into the house as it exploded. Wild flames busted out the windows. Sam and Dean looked in horror at the burning house.

"Hey, guys," a familiar chipper voice sounded behind them.

Dean spun around with a frown at her sudden appearance. It's a weird feeling when you want to strangle someone but are glad to see them at the same time.

"Where the hell were you? We thought you went kaboom in there," he barked at her.

"I was just…getting food?" She gestured at the brown paper bag in her hands. "All that running made me kinda hungry. Had to carb load."

Dean scowled at her. Sam chuckled.

"So you think it works?" Sam asked, pointing to the Hell House.

"Nobody will go in anymore. I mean, look, Mordechai can't haunt a house if there's no house to haunt. It's fast and dirty, but it works," Dean said.

"Which is just the way I like it," Hayley agreed with a smirk, and they laughed.

"What if the legend changes again and Mordechai is allowed to leave the house?" Sam asked.

"Well…well, then we'll just have to come back," Dean said simply, shrugging his shoulders.

"Kinda makes you wonder. Of all the things you guys hunted, how many existed just because people believed in them," Hayley mused.

The boys looked at her thoughtfully before they returned their gaze to the house, watching it burn to the ground and Mordechai with it.

* * *

The three decided to make one last stop by the trailer park and check up on the two wannabe ghostbusters. Apparently, they had made it home just fine. Hayley and the brothers sat at a picnic table when Ed and Harry approached them, carrying several grocery bags.

 _Munchies_ , Hayley thought and smiled as she remembered her cravings back in college.

"Gentlemen, and _lady_ ," Ed greeted them, winking at Hayley.

She had to hand it to him – he was persistent.

"Hey guys," Sam said and smiled.

"Should we tell 'em?" Harry asked, turning to look at his partner.

"Hey, might as well, you know, they're going to read about it in the trades," Ed said.

"So this morning, we got a phone call from a very important Hollywood producer," Harry told them smugly.

"Oh yeah, wrong number?" Dean quipped.

"No, smart-ass. He read all about the Hell House on our website and wants to option the motion picture rights. Maybe even have us write it," Ed said while placing their grocery bags in an utterly overloaded car.

"And create the RPG," Harry added.

"The what?" Dean asked, confused.

"Role-playing game," Ed and Hayley answered simultaneously.

Dean raised an eyebrow at Hayley. "Right," he smirked.

"A little lingo for you. Anywho, uh, excuse us, we're off to la-la land," Ed said as he finished loading their car.

"Well, congratulations, guys. That sounds really great," Sam said, almost sincerely.

"Yeah. That's awesome. Best of luck to you," Dean said, sounding a lot less sincere than his brother.

"Oh yeah, _luck_. That has nothing to do with it. It's about talent. Sheer unabashed talent," Ed said, and Hayley snickered. "Later."

They waved at them as the two crammed into their car and drove off into the night.

"Wow," Dean said, watching them leave.

"I have a confession to make," Hayley said and looked at the boys, biting her lower lip with a smile.

"What's that?" Dean asked.

"Well, let's just say I had a Cisco call them and tell them he's a producer," she confessed with a broad grin. "He really went all out too."

Sam and Dean threw their heads back, laughing.

"Yeah, well, we're the ones who put the dead fish in their back seat," Dean said, and the brothers grinned at her.

"Aw, looks like you two finally made up and worked together, huh?" She smiled at them, and they shared a look.

"Truce?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, truce," Dean accepted.

"At least for the next 100 miles," he added with a chuckle, opening the door of the Impala.

"Great, where's the next case?" Hayley asked as she trailed closely behind Dean.

He slammed the door shut again and spun around to look at her. She didn't expect him to stop and bumped straight into his chest. She glanced up at his grim expression.

"You're not coming," he told her steadfastly.

"Dean…," Sam started to say but was instantly cut off.

"Go, wait in the car, Sam," he ordered his little brother.

Sam opened his mouth to argue, but Dean didn't even let him get a word out.

"Get in the car, Sam!"

He frowned at Dean but eventually opened the door and sat in the passenger seat with a pout.

"You're being ridiculous. I can help you! Why won't you let me?" She furrowed her brow.

"Why do you even want to, huh? It sucks!"

"So? Since I know what's out there, I can't just go back and pretend everything's sunshine and rainbows. I wanna help people. I mean, don't you get that?"

She looked at him persuasively, crossing her arms. He avoided her eyes. Whatever she was doing to him, she was damn good at it. He had a feeling she was used to getting what she wanted that way.

"I _do_ get it," he said, almost giving in to her stare.

And he _did_ get it. It was the same reason why he could never leave this life. And why he was always so frustrated with Sam – because Sam never had a problem with turning his back on what's really out there.

"I'm tired of running, Dean. Please let me do this," she pleaded with him.

She might have her own agenda why she wanted to join them. Nevertheless, she still wanted to help them.

"No," he remained stern.

"Oh, c'mon! Give me one good reason," she said, rolling her eyes.

"One reason? I'll give you a thousand! But for starters, you're too emotional. I saw how you looked at that dead girl. You can't let that get to you. Stuff like that happens almost every single day."

"Duh, Captain Obvious. I'm a CSI, remember? Look, I hate dead bodies and love evidence. I don't know about _you_ , but I think that's pretty normal, okay? That doesn't mean I can't do my job like a goddamn professional. I care. Sue me," she snapped.

"You're inexperienced," Dean argued.

"I learn _fast_ ," Hayley countered.

"You could get hurt."

"I heal fast," she replied through gritted teeth as they unwillingly entered into a staring contest that seemed to be lasting for minutes.

"You're not gonna change my mind, Speedy. Point is, you're not a hunter or a hero – you're just a random girl that got struck by lightning. Now get your ass back home before you get us all killed," he growled at her.

She narrowed her eyes at him silently. And then she was gone.

Dean got into the Impala, where Sam was waiting for him with a death stare. "That was a little harsh, Dean, don't you think? She was helping us," Sam reasoned.

Dean ignored him and started the engine. He knew he had been harsh, but she needed to hear it. This time it was an ax to the arm. Next time it'd be something worse until they got her killed altogether. He turned up the volume as Blue Oyster Cult drained from the speakers, drowning out his little brother's voice as they hit the road again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Please leave me some lightning below ⚡️😉


	4. Something Wicked

**Tulsa, Oklahoma**

The Winchesters had settled at a roadside bar just on the outskirts of town. Dean had needed a break from driving the last few days, and even Sam was happy to get a few hours outside of the Impala. So he obliged when his older brother suggested to hit the next bar and have some fun.

Dean had been busy talking to a girl with black hair all night long at the counter, filling her up with drinks, and flirting his way into her heart – or her pants, whichever came first. When he finally got her number, he strolled back with a smug grin to the youngest Winchester, who was sitting alone at a table on the opposite end of the bar, buried in research as he balanced his cellphone between his ear and his shoulder.

"Yeah, so when you find the bones, just salt and burn 'em, and you should be good," Sam said into his phone as Dean sat down next to him, placing his beer bottle on the table. He waved at his little brother for attention, but Sam just held out his pointer finger at him, telling him to wait.

"Alright, see you soon," Sam said with a smile as he hung up.

"Hunter needing some help?" Dean chuckled.

"Something like that, yeah," Sam replied with a guilty look in his hazel brown eyes.

Dean's eyes narrowed suspiciously at his little brother's skittishness. Did Sam finally find a girl to hook up with? But before Dean could smile proudly at him, Sam spun around with an expectant glance at the door.

Dean followed his brother's gaze and frowned when the familiar young brunette entered the bar with a big smile. Sam smiled back at her as he got up from their table and gave her a big bear-hug. He was two heads taller than her, the top of her head barely reaching his shoulders. They wandered back over to Dean, chatting excitedly.

"You've been hunting on your own?!" Dean interrupted their chit-chatting angrily. The two stopped smiling and shot him an entertained look.

"Well, you didn't wanna take me with you...so yeah, obviously," Hayley casually said with a shrug, but Dean could see the rebellious look glistening in her eyes.

"So what, you have a death wish now? Is that it?" He glared at her as she crossed her arms defiantly in front of her chest. The annoyed eye-roll that followed just made him want to jump her throat even more.

"Dean, relax. I just gave her easy cases. You know, ghosts where the bones weren't cremated...," Sam jumped in.

"You've been _sending_ her hunting?" He moved his glare from Hayley to Sam, who rolled his eyes back too. He could already see she had a wonderful influence on his little brother.

"Dean, I told you last time I wanna do this. You telling me I can't isn't gonna stop me. You can't order me around. I'm not that easy to get rid off, Winchester," she stated with a smirk, and he cocked an eyebrow at her before he shot Sam a sharp look that told his little brother that he was majorly pissed off.

"So, you wanna be a hunter now? Really _, you_? _Little Miss Sunshine_ rolling around in dirt, blood, and guts?" He grinned challengingly, leaning a little over the table as he glanced at her as she stood on the other side, power-posing in her red and black flannel dress, a nice black blazer, and some ankle boots. He knew right then, she'd get killed one way or the other. If he could make her run away, he would.

"You mean like I do in my day job where I scrape off blood, feces, saliva, or sperm?" As a CSI, she had seen some shit, and no, it was never pleasant, but it was her goddamn job, and people depended on her doing it.

He frowned at her response, rubbing his face in frustration. "What is she doing here? I thought you were giving me a few days off, huh? I don't wanna go hunt right now," Dean complained to Sam, who chuckled in response.

"Relax, I am," Sam said with a smile, earning him a surprised look from Dean. "I felt bad I sent Hayley out on a hunt yesterday on her birthday."

Dean's apple-green eyes shot to Hayley. "Your birthday was yesterday? So, this is a celebratory occasion?" He raised his brow at them, still a little suspicious at their intentions, but his furious facial expression had softened.

"Yes, Dean," Sam replied patiently.

"I'm gonna grab us some beers. Discuss, boys," Hayley said with a wink and hopped on over to the bar counter.

"So, you wanna get into the girl's pants? Is that what this is about? Get your freak on with Speedy over here," Dean teased Sam with a smirk.

"Hey, I'm not the one that wanted to sleep with her in the first place, if I remember correctly." Sam shot the oldest Winchester a knowing grin as Dean squirmed in his seat.

"That was for the case, Sammy. I take my job very seriously, you know that," Dean stated defensively. While he wouldn't admit it now, he certainly had planned on taking that girl back to the motel that night. But things changed in a literal flash. The only interest he had in her now was to send her ass back home where it belonged.

"Right," Sam said with a small, all-knowing smile that made Dean want to punch him. "Look, just be nice to her. She just wants some answers, you know? Like us?"

"Answers to what?" Dean cocked an eyebrow curiously, but their conversation was cut short by the arrival of the brunette speedster with three bottles of beer in hand.

"So? Am I allowed to bribe you with beer yet?" She asked Dean directly with a charming smile as she put her own bottle to her dark red lips and took a sip.

"Fine. I'll make an exception for birthday girl," Dean replied, trying to be on his best behavior like his brother had wanted him to. She smiled, satisfied with his response. "So what did you do on your last birthday?"

"You mean, the one where I was in a coma or the one before that?" She didn't really enjoy her birthdays nowadays like most people would. After all, her mother had died only four days after her eleventh. But before that, she had mostly enjoyed them – the cake, the games, her friends, her dad lighting the candles, her mom's voice as she sang...

"Right," Dean chuckled. Before he could continue their conversation, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out from the back of his jeans and read the text message on his screen with a furrowed brow. "Did you bring your laptop with you?" He asked, glancing up from his phone to Hayley.

She shot a hesitant look to Sam, who just shrugged before she replied, "Suuure." She pulled the laptop out of her bag and slid it over the table to Dean.

"What's up?" Sam asked his older brother as he leaned in a little closer to look at the screen.

"Dad has sent us coordinates again. Looks like we're going to Fitchburg, Wisconsin," he said as he finished his beer and grabbed his brown leather jacket from the back of his chair.

"Great, I'll meet you guys there," Hayley said as she jumped up from her chair.

"Whoa, whoa," Dean said, towering in front of her. "You wanna hunt? Fine, then let's go hunt. But you're not goin' to run everywhere we go."

She looked up at him carefully, raising an eyebrow. "That's kinda the way I get around, Dean," she replied like a smart-ass, trying to squeeze past him.

He blocked her with his arm and stared at her. "Not if you wanna be a hunter. If you wanna do this, you ride in the car like a normal person," he said determinedly.

Her crystal blue eyes narrowed at him. "Look. Usually I don't mind arguing with you, but I'm not in the mood this week. I have some work to get done, too. You know, for my _real_ job that pays my rent and my food."

He shrugged harshly. "Not my problem, Speedy. If you wanna do this, you gotta be all in." Dean didn't budge an inch as she glared at him. He'd do everything to make her quit.

"Fine, let's go then," she said and smiled cheekily at him as she pushed past him and headed out the door. She wasn't a quitter.

* * *

"Yeah, you probably missed something, that's what," Dean said as they were driving down a country road somewhere in Wisconsin.

They had almost reached Fitchburg and Dean had to admit that the eleven-hour drive hadn't been as bad as he thought it would be with their new companion in the car. In fact, Hayley had been pretty much dead asleep on the backseat for the last eight hours. The other three she had spent researching and working on her laptop while she hummed along to the music in her headphones. While Dean didn't agree with every song choice, her voice was nice enough to let it slip.

"Dude, I ran LexisNexis, local police reports, newspapers, I couldn't find a single red flag. Are you sure you got the coordinates right?" Sam asked his brother.

"Yeah, I double-checked. It's Fitchburg, Wisconsin. Dad wouldn't have sent us coordinates if it wasn't important, Sammy," Dean told him for what felt like the thousandth time on this drive.

Sam sighed, frustrated. "Well, I'm telling you I looked, and all I could find was a big steamy pile of nothing. If Dad's sending us hunting for something, I don't know what."

"Well, maybe he's going to meet us there," Dean suggested hopefully, but that only earned him a sharp look from Sam.

"Yeah. 'Cause he's been so easy to find up to this point," Sam muttered.

"You're a real smart-ass, you know that?" Dean glared at him but decided it wasn't worth the fight. "Don't worry, I'm sure there's something in Fitchburg worth killing."

"Yeah? What makes you so sure?" Sam asked grumpily.

"'Cause I'm the oldest, which means I'm always right," he declared.

"No, it doesn't," Sam argued.

"It totally does." He glanced over to his brother with a grin before noticing something moving in the rearview mirror. "Good morning, Speedy," he said as Hayley stretched herself yawningly in the backseat.

"Are you guys fighting again?" She asked, still half-asleep.

"No," they answered simultaneously before sharing a look. She cozied up between the two front seats, resting her arms on their backrest.

"Oh-kay, then." She glanced from one brother to the other, but they just stubbornly stared straight ahead at the road. "How long have we been driving?"

"Eleven hours," Dean replied, and she frowned.

"God, do you know what I could've done during that time?" She let herself fall back in her seat with a deep sigh.

"You mean besides sleep?" He countered.

"I'm starving," she complained.

"Don't worry. We're almost the-" Lightning swished through the backseat and came back a few seconds later. "-re," he finished to say and glared back at her, annoyed.

"What?" She asked innocently as she pulled out some bacon from a take-out bag.

"I thought I said no running!"

"Oh c'mon, it's bacon," she said with a smile and shifted closer to him, holding a stripe of it in front of his face. He grabbed it defiantly, not withstanding the delicious smell that crawled up his nose.

"Fine. Food runs are allowed," he announced, and Sam chortled. Dean glanced over at his brother. "What?"

"You're unbelievable, you know that?" Sam told him, carrying an amused smile. He knew it would only be a matter of time before Dean would get used to their new friend. He had also told Hayley his older brother was bribable with food and booze. So far, Sam felt confident in his plans to make them friends.

"Yeah, I know," he replied smugly and grinned.

Hayley shook her head at him with a smile as they drove past the town sign of Fitchburg. She knew the oldest Winchester wouldn't make it easy on her, but she still had some tricks up her sleeve.

* * *

**Fitchburg, Wisconsin**

Sam was leaning against the parked Impala, watching a playground near the local school as Dean and Hayley came back from their coffee run. They crossed the street, and Hayley handed him a takeaway coffee cup.

"Well, the waitress thinks the local freemasons are up to something sneaky, but other than that, no one's heard about anything freaky going on," Dean said, leaning against the Impala next to his brother.

Hayley took a sip from her coffee before she spat it out again. "What the hell is that?" She asked with a glare at Dean.

"Decaf for you, Speedy," he grinned at her.

"Bastard," she snapped at him, and he was surprised by her choice of words. He didn't think she had it in her. "What, are you trying to poison me? I need my caffeine, you moron."

"I think you have enough energy, sweetheart," Dean retorted with a roll of his eyes.

"Guys," Sam interrupted their bickering. "Any of you got the time?" He asked but kept his eyes still staring straight ahead.

"Ten after Four. Why?" Hayley responded, forgetting her fight with Dean.

"What's wrong with this picture?" Sam asked, indicating ahead. Hayley and Dean followed his gaze.

"Where are all the children?" She asked as she stared at a deserted playground.

"School's out, isn't it?" Dean questioned, looking around. Except for a few kids, it was practically a wasteland.

"Yeah. So where is everybody? This place should be crawling with kids right now," Sam pondered.

Dean's eyes fell to a woman sitting on a park bench at the playground, reading a magazine. He walked over to her while Sam and Hayley stayed behind at the car, discussing their different theories.

"Sure is quiet out here," Dean mused as he approached the young dark-haired woman.

"Yeah, it's a shame," she said and looked up at him.

"Why's that?"

"You know, kids getting sick, it's a terrible thing," she replied and glanced over to the remaining children at the playground.

"How many?" He asked, looking at her.

"Just five or six. But serious, hospital serious. A lot of parents are getting pretty anxious. They think it's catching," she told him. He nodded and then followed her gaze to a little girl playing by herself. He knew there was something to hunt in this town.

* * *

The three of them decided to check out the hospital next. They were all dressed for business – the boys in suits and Hayley in a pencil skirt, a white blouse, and blazer. Dean had even made her wear her glasses for extra professionality.

"Is this really necessary?" She asked them as she trailed behind the brothers, trying to keep up with them on four-inch heels.

"Look, you know more about science and medical stuff, so it's easier for you than for us," Sam explained. He had walked her through the last couple of hunting jobs too. He enjoyed being the teacher for once, unlike when he hunted with his father or brother. Hayley had also been a good student and always asked the right questions. More importantly, he knew why she wanted to do this and could understand.

"Besides, you said you wanted to be a hunter. That's part of the job description," Dean provoked her with a smirk. His new strategy seemed to be working – it would only be a matter of time before she gave up.

"Yeah, but I kinda feel uncomfortable about lying to authorities. You know that people get arrested for identity theft, right?" She stopped walking and looked a little panicked all of a sudden.

Dean turned around and looked at _Little Miss Law & Order_. "Yeah, but technically you're not using a fake ID," he replied with a grin before he started to move his feet again, Hayley matching his pace.

"Yeah, about that – I'm sure as hell not gonna use an ID that says bikini inspector on it," she said with a glare, and Dean laughed.

"Don't worry. She won't look that close, all right? Hell, she won't even ask to see it. It's all about confidence, Speedy," he said as he looked at the nurse sitting at the counter and back over to her. "Now, you wanna be a hunter or not?" He asked her with a self-satisfied grin and held out the fake ID for her.

"Fine," she said and grabbed the ID from his hand. "Bikini inspector is still better than Agents Metallica."

Sam chuckled at her remark while Dean frowned at her.

She glanced back over to the nurse and let out a deep breath before strolling over to the desk. "Hi, I'm Dr. Hannah West, Centers for Disease Control," she introduced herself with a confident smile. The receptionist looked up at her and seemed already annoyed.

"Can I see some ID?" The nurse asked her. She heard Sam and Dean snigger in the corridor behind her and shot them a dirty look before turning her attention back to the nurse.

"Yeah, sure," she said and quickly flashed her ID to the receptionist, holding her thumb over the name of it. "Could you direct me to the pediatrics ward, please?" She quickly changed the subject.

"Okay, well, just go down that hall, turn left, and up the stairs," she replied, and Hayley nodded thankfully at her before walking back to the brothers.

"See, I told you it would work," Dean said with a wide grin. She narrowed her eyes at him and headed upstairs without further comment.

The brothers soon joined her upstairs and talked to the leading doctor of the pediatrics ward, Dr. Hydecker. In the last five weeks, the hospital had experienced six cases of kids getting sick with pneumonia to the point where the children lied comatose in their beds, and doctors didn't know if or when they will wake up. None of the children were responding to medicine, and their bodies seemed to be wearing out.

Dr. Hydecker was able to give them one clue, however. So far, the disease had spread through siblings, taking one at a time from the same household. It wasn't unusual for a virus to do that, but it was still odd only the kids were affected and never the parents.

The doctor was nice enough to send them to the parents of their latest admission, and the three talked to a father in his thirties. Both his daughters had come down with the disease within a day apart and were unconsciously sleeping next door while he didn't seem to get any sleep in the waiting room. The father himself suspected an open window as the culprit, but the three of them weren't as sure.

As they left the hospital, they jumped straight back into the Impala and drove to the house of the father they had talked to. They knew he wouldn't be home for a while. Dean picked the backdoor's lock, and the three entered, finding the girls' shared bedroom on the first floor.

Sam had his EMF meter in hand and swept the house on their way upstairs before he was blocked by Hayley from entering the bedroom.

"Just give me a sec," she said, and the brothers shared a look and shrugged. Dean wouldn't protest the only thing she was actually good at – crime scenes.

She sped once around the room, only noticeable by the soft breeze filling the space and a few loose papers fluttering around before she stopped a blink of an eye later by the window. "Guys, here," she said, shining her pocket flashlight on the windowsill.

The boys joined her at the spot and looked at the burned-in handprint on the white wooden sill. It was charcoal black and had long claws, reminding them of the Daevas in Chicago, and Dean sincerely hoped their father hadn't sent them here to run into Meg again.

But then he became quiet, remembering something he had wanted to forget for a long time. "I know why Dad sent us here. He's faced this thing before. He wants us to finish the job," Dean said, and his companions glanced at him, confused.

What Dean left out was that not his father had failed; _he_ had.

* * *

_**Flashback, 17 years ago** _

His father had left a photo on the bed. Dean walked over to look at a handprint rotted into a windowsill. He dropped it shyly as soon as his father walked out of the other bedroom of their motel room. He carried a sawn-off shotgun and loaded it with a clack.

"All right. You know the drill, Dean. Anybody calls, you don't pick up. If it's me, I'll ring once, then call back. You got that?" He looked at his oldest son sternly.

"Mm-hmm. Only answer the phone unless it rings once first," Dean repeated his father's teachings like he had done so many times before.

"Come on, dude, look alive. This stuff is important," he told him with a frown.

"I know, it's just…we've gone over it like a million times, and you know I'm not stupid," Dean pointed out with a deep sigh.

"I know you're not, but it only takes one mistake, you got that?" John said as he started gathering his things together, throwing them into a duffel bag. "All right, if I'm not back Sunday night...?" He asked and looked at his son to fill in the blank.

"Call Pastor Jim," Dean answered with a slight eye-roll. He was sure his father must think he was stupid. Otherwise, he would've backed off a long time ago.

"Lock the doors, the windows, close the shades. Most important…"

"Watch out for Sammy," Dean finished his father's sentence once more. It was the most obvious one. They looked over at little Sam plastered in front of the TV, watching cartoons absentmindedly, not even noticing the swirling chaos around him. " _I know,_ " Dean said through gritted teeth.

"All right. If something tries to bust in?" John asked his last question with a raised eyebrow.

"Shoot first, ask questions later," Dean replied, and John smiled at him, patting his son on the shoulder proudly.

"That's my man."

* * *

_**Present Day** _

It had gotten dark as Dean's Baby rolled into a parking lot of the nearest motel in town. On the ride, Dean had filled in Sam and Hayley about the monster they were hunting – a shtriga. Of course, the youngest Winchester had many questions.

 _What is a shtriga? Why is it not in Dad's journal? How do you know all_ _this?_

Hayley had undoubtedly been more cooperative, starting her research quietly on her laptop in the backseat. She had switched to her tablet as they got out of the car and continued her vigorous study all through the brothers' argument outside the motel's reception. She would've cut in, but lacked the energy to do so – and not just because Dean had kept her from her caffeine this morning. She honestly just wanted to finish this case, go home, and cry.

But Dean was sure. His father had hunted a shtriga, a witch of some sort, 17 years ago, not too far from here. He knew his dad had sent him here for this exact reason. He still tried to avoid most of his brother's row of questions, though. He didn't remember much, or _enough_ , to tell Sam more, and what Dean did remember, he didn't feel like sharing with an audience.

Eventually, he fled to the motel's office to book their room where he ran into a wise-cracking eleven-year-old. But the kid reminded him too much of himself to take it personally, and he watched as the boy made his little brother some dinner in the small room behind the counter like Dean had done so many times for Sam when they were children.

Afterward, the three cooped up in their motel room. Hayley had handed over her research to Sam as she had some work to get done for Joe. She had received several e-mails marked as _urgent_ , knowing Captain Singh had threatened to fire her if she didn't show up for work. Dean, on the other hand, had delved through their arsenal, trying to find the weapon that would finally kill this thing.

"Well, you were right," Sam said with a chuckle as he looked through a bunch of articles Hayley had found online. "Shtriga is a kind of witch. They're Albanian, but legends about them trace back to Ancient Rome. They feed off spiritus vitae," Sam explained as he read from the website.

" _Spiri_ -what?" Dean asked as a puzzled look appeared on his face.

" _Vitae_. It's Latin – translates to 'breath of life.' Kinda like your life force or essence," Hayley answered from the couch, her eyes still glued to the screen.

"Didn't the doctor say the kids' bodies were wearing out?" Dean questioned the geek squad.

"It's a thought," Sam agreed. "You know, she takes your vitality, maybe your immunity goes to hell, pneumonia takes hold. Anyway, shtrigas can feed off anyone, but they prefer-"

"Children," Hayley and Dean finished for him.

"Yeah. Probably because they have a stronger life force. And get this. Shtrigas are _invulnerable to all weapons devised by God and man_ ," he continued reading from the article.

"No, that's not right. She's vulnerable when she feeds," Dean corrected him, and both Sam and Hayley glanced up, wrinkling their brows.

"What?" Sam asked him with a baffled expression on his face. Why would Dean let them do research if he knew all this already? And why hadn't his older brother told him before, instead of pretending to not remember?

"If you catch her when she's eating, you can blast her with consecrated wrought iron. Uh, buckshots or rounds, I think," Dean explained, ignoring their curious stares.

"How do you know that?" Sam asked.

"Dad told me. I remember," he replied quietly, shrugging as he looked for his shotgun among an array of weapons.

"Oh, huh. So, uh, anything else Dad might have mentioned?" Sam skeptically raised an eyebrow at his older brother's secrecy.

"Nope, that's it," Dean responded simply, but Sam just kept staring at him. "What?" Dean's voice was getting angrier, soon reaching its boiling point.

Sam was ready to speak up again but was cut off by Hayley. " _Sam_." She threw him a warning look, and Dean glanced at her briefly but thankfully. Honestly, she didn't know why she helped him, but Dean seemed more stressed out than usual, and Sam's questioning had gotten a little intense.

"Nothing," Sam replied to Dean's question and rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Okay, so, assuming we can kill it when it eats, we still gotta find the thing first, which ain't gonna be a cakewalk. Shtrigas take on a human disguise when they're not hunting," Sam stated, trying to focus on the case, but his voice still carried a mild level of annoyance.

"What kinda human disguise?" Dean asked.

"Historically, something innocuous. Could be anything, but it's usually a feeble old woman, which might be how the witches as old crones legend got started," he explained.

"Hang on," Dean said contemplatively as he crossed the room. When they visited the hospital this morning, he had noticed a suspiciously older woman in one of the rooms. She was creepy-looking, to say the least, but the dead giveaway had been hanging on her wall.

"What?" Sam looked curiously at him.

"Check this out." He grabbed the map next to Hayley and folded it open on the little dining table. "I marked down all the addresses of the victims. Now, these are the houses that have been hit so far and dead center?"

"The hospital," Hayley realized as she looked past her screen at Dean's finger on the map.

"Exactly. Now when we were there, I saw a patient, an old woman," Dean said.

"An old person, huh?" Sam raised an eyebrow at his brother, amused.

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

"In a hospital? Phew." Sam shook his head mockingly and snickered. "Better call the Coast Guard."

Hayley chortled, and Dean threw them a dirty look. "Well, listen, smart-asses, she had an inverted cross hanging on her wall," Dean stated, and they stopped laughing and looked up at him.

"That's an actual thing?" Hayley asked, wrinkling her forehead.

The brothers shared a look before they replied with a nod. _It was_.

Unfortunately, Dean's hunch was a bust, and the old woman had just been that – an old woman. After a good scare, Dean turned her cross back around on the wall. Hayley and Sam were still laughing their asses off on their ride back.

The sun rose again without any of them getting any shuteye, and the Impala pulled into the motel parking lot once more.

"'I was sleeping with my peepers open?'" Sam mocked his older brother as they got out of the car, imitating the old woman's words.

Dean rolled his eyes at him, irritated. "I almost smoked that old girl, I swear. It's not funny," he scowled.

"Yeah, well, you almost smoked me once too," Hayley chimed in, smirking, and Dean threw her a look.

"Oh man, you should've seen your face," Sam said, continuing the taunting and sniggering.

"Yeah, laugh it off. Now we're back to square one," Dean murmured. Suddenly, his eyes wandered to the boy he had met yesterday. He looked rather depressed, sitting alone on a bench in front of the motel's office. "Hang on," he said to Sam and Hayley as he approached the boy.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"My brother's sick," the boy replied, glancing up at him.

"The little guy?" Dean asked. He felt sick to his stomach. He had just watched those kids yesterday, innocently eating their dinner.

"What happened?" Hayley asked the boy as she came to stand next to Dean.

"Pneumonia," he answered weakly. "He's in the hospital. It's my fault."

"Ah, c'mon, how?" Dean asked as he knelt down to the boy.

"I should've made sure the window was latched. He wouldn't have got pneumonia if the window was latched," he explained, clearly upset.

Dean glanced over to his own little brother, who watched their conversation concerned. Dean would have blamed himself, too, no matter what happened to Sammy.

"Listen to me. I can promise you that this is not your fault. Okay?" Dean still insisted, looking the boy straight in his eyes.

"It's my job to look after him," the boy argued, just as Dean would have. And still would, actually.

His mother came hurrying out of the office and ran toward her car, carrying pillows and a teddy bear. "Michael, I want you to turn on the no vacancy sign while I'm gone. I've got Denise covering room service, so don't bother with any of the rooms," she told her son hastily.

"I'm going with you," Michael stated stubbornly.

"Not now, Michael," she said as she tried to stuff every item in the car's trunk.

"But I gotta see Asher!" He exclaimed, upset.

"Hey Michael, hey," Dean cut in. "I know how you feel, I'm a big brother too, but you gotta go easy on your mom right now, okay?" He said gently to the boy.

"Dammit!" His mother muttered as she dropped her purse in all the haste.

"I got it," Hayley said as she bent down to pick it up for her and handed it back to the young mother with a smile.

"Thank you," The mother smiled back weakly at her.

"Listen, you're in no condition to drive. Why don't you let me give you a lift to the hospital?" Dean suggested.

"No, I couldn't possibly…" she stammered.

"No, it's no trouble. I insist," he told her and grabbed the keys. She nodded thankfully.

"Be good," she said, turning to her son before Dean helped her into the passenger's seat.

"We're gonna kill this thing. I want it dead, you hear me?" Dean declared angrily to Sam and Hayley as he passed them before he jumped into the car himself.

* * *

Sam and Hayley decided to seek out the local library in the meantime. She was glad to do research with Sam, but she had a hard time concentrating on the subject matter. All she could think about was tomorrow. Sam carefully glanced up from the computer screen and looked at her. She was sitting in front of an opened book and a stack of articles, but instead of reading what was in front of her, she was staring absentmindedly out the window, watching the bleak trees sway in the cold March wind.

"I'm sure we'll figure out what happened to the kids, Hayley. And to your mom," Sam said. Her eyes darted to him, and a soft smile appeared on her lips.

"Thanks, Sam. You know, for trying to help me," she replied quietly. She had told Sam last week what really happened that night her mother was murdered – every detail she remembered. He had listened to her patiently, and to her big surprise, he hadn't called her crazy like so many people had done before. He _believed_ her. He wanted to _help_ her, help her solve the biggest mystery of her life. She couldn't help but think about it as her mother's death anniversary neared tomorrow.

"You know, Dean would help you too. You just have to tell him," Sam suggested, smiling softly. The more he had gotten to know Hayley over the past week, he couldn't help but think she was not just the friend _he_ needed but also the friend _Dean_ needed. Sam didn't remember his mother's death like his older brother did, and while it still hurt, he could only imagine what it must feel like to witness a parent's death. The only experience he had close to it was Jessica.

She huffed with an amused chuckle. "Yeah, right. Dean would send me back to Central City if he could. And honestly, I could live without him too. Stop trying to force your brother down my throat, Sam," she said and immediately bit her tongue as Sam started to chortle. "That came out wrong."

"Dean would've appreciated it," Sam replied with a smug grin that was unlike him, and her jaw dropped at his sudden sassiness.

"If you tell him, I'll race you to the fires of Mordor, young Winchester."

Sam laughed at her joke – one he could never make around Dean because his brother wouldn't understand any _Lord of the Rings_ references. "I won't," he promised but gave her a mischievous grin. Even though they were knee-deep in research into a European witch that killed children, Sam hadn't hung out with someone normal like that since he left Stanford behind him in the rearview mirror of Dean's Impala.

Sam's phone then rang, hearing Dean's voice as he picked up.

" _Hey_ ," Dean whispered on the other end.

"Hey. How's the kid?"

" _He's not good. Where you at?_ " Dean asked.

"We're at the library. We've been trying to find out as much as we can about this shtriga."

" _Yeah? What have you got?_ "

"Well, bad news. I started with Fort Douglas around the time you said Dad was there," Sam stated.

" _Yeah?"_

"Same deal. Before that, there was, uh, Ogdenville, before that North Haverbrook, and Brockway. Every 15 to 20 years it hits a new town. Dean, this thing is just getting started in Fitchburg. In all these other places, it goes on for _months_. Dozens of kids before the shtriga finally moves on. The kids just…languish in comas, and then they die," Sam sighed worriedly.

" _How far back does this thing go?_ " Dean asked. He had hoped for better news.

"Uh, I don't know. The earliest mention I could find is this place called Black River Falls back in the 1890s. Talk about a horror show," Sam said, and Hayley moved behind him to look at the monitor before she grabbed the phone from his hands.

" _Sam?_ " Dean asked, concerned as he heard rustling on the other end.

"No, it's me. There's a photograph of a bunch of doctors standing around a kid's bed. One of the doctors is Hydecker," Hayley said. Sam took a closer look at the photo, squinting his eyes, and frowned.

" _And?_ " Dean asked, a little annoyed. _Couldn't those two just finish a damn sentence already?_

"This picture was taken in 1893," she stated.

" _You sure?_ " He grimaced. Dr. Hydecker was right there with him at the hospital – right under his nose, and he couldn't do a thing about it.

"A hundred percent," she asserted him.

* * *

The three met up back at base camp, or more precisely, their dingy motel room. Dean was pacing the little space agitatedly. He just wanted to kill that damn thing ever since he knew it was the doctor. He needed to rip someone's throat out. _Now._

"We should have thought of this before. A doctor's a perfect disguise. You're trusted; you can control the whole thing," Sam said, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"That son of a bitch," Dean declared angrily and threw his leather jacket onto the bed next to where Hayley sat.

"I'm surprised you didn't draw on him right there," she said with a knowing smile. He certainly hadn't shown any inhibition when he stormed her lab at a police station last week.

"Yeah, well, first of all, I'm not going to open fire in a fucking pediatrics ward," Dean explained, calming down a little.

"Good call," Sam agreed with a chuckle.

"Second, wouldn't have done any good because the bastard's bulletproof unless he's chowing down on something. And third, I wasn't packing, which is probably a really good thing 'cause I probably would have just burned a clip in him on principle alone," Dean stated, throwing his hands around the air in an aggravated manner.

"At least, you're getting wiser, Winchester," Hayley said with a smile, and Sam snickered.

"Damn right," Dean agreed with her. "'Cause now I know how we're going to get it," he stated.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, giving his older brother a confused look.

"Shtriga works through siblings, right?" Dean asked rhetorically.

"Right," Hayley confirmed hesitantly. She didn't like where this conversation was heading.

"Well, last night…," Dean trailed off.

"It went after Asher," Sam finished his brother's thought.

"So I'm thinking tonight it's probably gonna come after Michael," Dean stated.

"What are we waiting for? We gotta get him out of here," Hayley said and jumped off the bed, ready to race that kid to the end of the world. However, Dean blocked her with his hand again. She hated it when he did that. Not that she couldn't just speed past him, but he radiated some kind of authority that she didn't want to cross.

"No. No, that would blow the whole deal," he said, and both Hayley and Sam shot him horrified looks.

" _What_?" Hayley asked him; her voice sounded angry. She took a step back from him, and he frowned at her.

"You wanna use the kid as bait? Are you nuts? No! Forget it. That's out of the question," Sam agreed with her. He almost didn't recognize his older brother. Dean wouldn't just put an innocent kid out for bait.

"It's not out of the question. It's the _only_ way. If this thing disappears, it could be _years_ before we get another chance."

"Michael's a kid. We're not gonna sacrifice a child to some monster. It's too much of a risk," Hayley snapped at him.

" _This_ is exactly why I didn't want you to come along. You're not a hunter. You don't get it! You think just because you're fast, you can automatically save people. When in reality, you're just trying to make up for the fact that your dad killed your mom," he yelled at her harshly.

She didn't break his glare, though. Instead, she stared at him, hurt and disappointment mirroring in her eyes before she spun around and raced outside, letting the door slam shut behind her.

"Dean!" Sam glared at him. He had mixed feelings about his brother right now. He had been an ass, sure, but Sam knew him well enough that something else was bothering him. "Have you completely lost it?"

"C'mon, she needed to hear it. I'm sure you were thinking it too," Dean argued, still heated from his last outburst.

"No, I wasn't. Because I actually talked to her long enough to know that her father didn't kill her mom," Sam stated with a complacent smile.

"What?" Dean furrowed his brow as the guilt slowly started to rise up in him. "What killed her?"

"We don't know yet. Something did. Something _supernatural_ ," Sam stated.

Dean sighed, rolling his eyes back. "And you couldn't have told me this little piece of information sooner?"

"I didn't know you were gonna be a complete asshole and throw it in her face," Sam shrugged.

"And how long have you known me?" Dean threw his hands up, annoyed. He knew he had been way too hard on Hayley. She hadn't even been wrong about the kid. And the way she had looked at him – like _he_ was the monster. "I'll talk to her," he sighed. "Considering she hasn't run 300 miles."

Luckily, he found her sitting close-by on a bench by the motel's office. She had gotten herself another cup of coffee, and its energy traveled to her trembling fingers as they clung to her paper cup as if her life depended on it. He could tell a mixture of anger and sadness washed over her face as she glanced up at him in the night's darkness.

"I'm sorry," he said, clearing his throat as he stood before her. He probably should apologize more convincingly, but Dean was too scared she'd bite his head off if he dared to sit down next to her.

"Did Sam tell you?" She asked and took a sip from her coffee, staring straight at the road ahead.

"Yeah," Dean replied and shoved his hands guiltily in his pocket.

"You feel like a giant ass?"

"Yup."

"Good." She bit her lip, and a faint smile escaped her when she finally glanced up at him. She could tell he really did feel bad. She scooted over a little, and he accepted her invitation, sitting down next to her on the bench.

"What happened? Sam just said something supernatural killed your mom," he stated carefully. He didn't want to pry, and at the same time, couldn't help himself not to, like he had done once before when they talked at that bar in her hometown. All he knew about her mother's death was what Hayley had already told him and a single newspaper article he had found, stating her father served a life sentence for stabbing her mother in the living room one night. He had never intended to throw it at her and couldn't explain why he had lashed out at her like that.

"I don't know actually," she said, quietly staring at the cup on her thighs. "Something came to our house that night. I never knew what it was...until I got my powers."

He glanced at her, wrinkling his brow. "What do you mean?"

"That night, when I came downstairs, I saw yellow and red lightning, like a tornado or a blur," she stated, getting tense at the thought of it.

"You mean like you?"

Her ocean eyes looked up at him. "Maybe, yeah. I just remember something in that lightning storm stabbed her – a guy in yellow. My Dad...he tried to save her. And me...I was suddenly standing somewhere alone in the road, twenty blocks from our house. I still don't know how I got there." She ran back as fast as she could in her pajamas, dragging little feet in her pink socks on the cold and wet asphalt.

"But how's this possible? I thought there wasn't an explosion before the one that struck you," Dean mused.

"I don't know. Kinda trying to figure that one out," she shrugged.

"Is that why you wanna be a hunter? To find answers?"

"Yeah, but it's more than that. If I can find out what happened to my Mom, that's great. But if I can help some people along the way, then that's even better, right?" She smiled softly at him. "You know, all my life, I looked for the impossible because I thought all my questions would be answered then. But when I actually became the impossible – I just had a lot more questions than before."

"Why haven't you told me this earlier?"

" _Why_?" She cocked a brow at him darkly, surprised at his oblivion. "Because we're not friends. Because you don't even like me. And because you tried to kill me. Three times, Dean, _three times_." She held up three fingers to emphasize her point.

He chuckled at that. _Fair_ _enough_ , he thought. He had to admit he hadn't made it easy on her to open up.

"I do like you," he said and regretted it in an instant, staring awkwardly at the sky. She didn't comment on it, giving him at least a little bit of his pride back. But he could see a small smile appeared on her lips as she tried to hide it by taking another sip from her cup. He cursed himself at this moment. He had tried to get rid of her – now, he knew that would be impossible. He had basically shot himself in the knee with that one sentence.

"As a kid, I couldn't stop telling people what really happened. Basically screamed it from the top of my lungs," she admitted.

"Let me guess – didn't go over so well?"

She laughed. "Nope. I was a golden goose for shrinks from this day forward." The only people who had ever believed her were her sister and her ex-boyfriend. And now, the Winchesters too.

"Right." Dean felt bad for her. He had been through the _I don't believe you_ -s, especially as a kid. He couldn't even imagine his dad sending him to therapy – not that John Winchester ever would have.

"Guess at one point I just stopped telling people." She looked down on her lap sadly. "I mean, Joe wouldn't even let me go see my dad in prison for a long time because everyone always assumed he was guilty."

"Can I ask you something?" Dean could feel the unexplained curiosity creep up inside of him again.

"Sure," Hayley replied, smiling warmly.

"What did it feel like? When that lightning hit you?"

"Well, that one hurt – _a_ _lot_. And the coma part also sucked. But...the first time I realized I had abilities – I don't know how to describe it. It felt _amazing._ " Her pupils widened in excitement, and he smiled at her. "A waitress dropped a tray at Jitters, and suddenly everything around me froze. It was so peaceful and quiet, but I still could feel this electricity coursing through me."

"Look...I don't know if Sam and I can help you. But I'm gonna try," he promised her. He realized at this moment that their thighs had been slightly touching this entire time, and he blamed the cold spring night.

"Thanks, but I'm not even sure I can do this. You're not wrong. I'm not really cut out for this life. All my life I spent in labs and libraries, not hunting and killing monsters and God-knows-what," she stated. "I just need to do... _something_ , you know?"

"Yeah, I get that. Believe me," he said, laughing bitterly. "And I was wrong. You _can_ do this. I think that lightning bolt chose you for a reason." Even though he didn't believe in crap like fate or destiny, his gut told him that Hayley was at least where she was supposed to be. "You just need training. Books and lore alone won't do shit to keep you out of an early grave."

"You know, I'm a speedster. I can take care of myself," she smirked, and he shook his head, chuckling. He certainly had his work cut out for him with this one. It would be a long road ahead.

"You need combat training. I still don't know if you can even shoot a gun. And don't even try to argue with me," Dean stated and held up his index finger as she tried to speak again. She bit her lip instead.

"Bossy, huh? So kinky," she teased him with a broad grin, and his eyes widened in disbelief over her words.

He was glad it was dark outside because he could feel the blood rush to his cheeks, and Hayley giggled at his obvious bashfulness. If anyone was allowed to make sex jokes around here, it was him.

"Can I ask _you_ something?" She said and saved him once again from his own embarrassment. He didn't know if she had actually emphasized the _you_ or if it was just his imagination after he had asked her so many questions.

He nodded with a shrug, still a little flustered.

"What happened the first time you hunted that shtriga? I know you're hiding something," Hayley stated and finished the last drop of her coffee.

"My Dad didn't screw up – I did. All these kids that got hurt, they're my fault," Dean said and stared down at his feet. He felt like a failure. He knew his father had thought the same. He still could remember the disappointed look in the old man's eyes.

"I thought you were a kid when this happened? How is it your fault?" She asked, her eyes focused on him and his words.

"We were in Fort Douglas, Wisconsin, hauled up in a motel room just like this. My Dad was out for days, hunting the thing, and I was supposed to watch Sammy. But after three nights in this crap room locked in with my little brother, I was climbing the walls. So I waited till Sammy fell asleep and went out. Not far, just to some arcade around the corner, played until I ran out of quarters. But when I came back into the room...," he trailed off, pained from the memory as if it was still a fresh wound.

"The shtriga was attacking Sam?" Hayley asked, and he responded with a quiet nod.

"I had already grabbed the shotgun, but I just froze when I saw that thing. I got scared," he admitted. "Luckily, Dad came back that moment and the thing let go of Sammy. Afterward, he just grabbed us and booked, dropped us off at Pastor Jim's. By the time he had gotten back, the thing was gone. So yeah, it's my fault. That's why he sent me here."

She sighed and cursed John Winchester internally. She knew the guy was trying his best to raise his kids in an impossible situation. But sometimes she'd like to bitch-slap the man sane again. Hayley softly placed a hand on Dean's shoulder. He didn't really know what to do with it; he wasn't used to someone comforting him. Even if Sam did it, it was never anything like this.

"You were just a kid," she tried to soothe him, but he brushed her off with a shake of his head.

"No, you don't understand. My Dad gave me a direct order to watch out for Sam. And I didn't obey," Dean argued.

"Dean, I _do_ understand. And I'm telling you it's not your fault."

He glanced up at her, her hand still resting on his shoulder. He didn't know why he believed her, maybe it was the gentleness in her voice or the understanding look in her eyes, but he believed her.

"What do you wanna do now? The shtriga is still gonna come after Michael tonight," she said and thought of the poor kid.

"Look, I know you don't like this. And _believe_ me, neither do I. But the kid has to be bait. It won't work otherwise," Dean stated, but this time a little more carefully.

"Okay," she agreed simply, and he threw her a baffled look at her sudden compliance.

"What, no argument this time?"

"No, you're the expert on this. I just worry about the kid," she replied, biting her lower lip anxiously.

"Don't. I have a plan. Nothing's gonna happen to that kid, I promise. Something tells me we can get him out of harm's way...in a flash," Dean said and grinned at her, and she matched his facial expression happily.

* * *

Hayley gave Dean some time to talk to the youngest Winchester about what happened in Fort Douglas back when they were children. She knew Dean needed to air out some stuff that had weighed on his conscience for far too long. Afterward, they went to see Michael and tried to convince the kid to play bait for a scary child-sucking monster. It went as expected.

"You're crazy! Just go away, or I'm calling the cops," Michael threatened them, holding up the receiver of the phone. He looked at the three like they had gone mad.

"Hang on a second. Just listen to me. You have to believe me, okay? This thing came through the window, and it attacked your brother. I've seen it. I know what it looks like. 'Cause it attacked my brother once too," Dean said and looked sincerely at the kid.

The boy slowly hung up the phone again and stared at Dean. "This thing…is it like…it has this long, black robe?"

"You saw it last night, didn't you?" Dean stated.

"I thought I was having a nightmare," Michael said, shaking his head at the blurry memory.

"I'd give anything not to tell you this, but sometimes nightmares are real," Dean told him. He hated to take the boy's innocence, but there was just no other option at this point.

"So, why are you telling me?"

"Because we need your help," Dean replied.

"My help?" Michael looked at him, confused.

"We can kill it. Us three, that's what we do. But we can't do it without you," Dean said, looking back to his own little brother and his new friend.

"What? No!" He exclaimed in shock at their request.

"Michael, listen to me. This thing hurt Asher. And it's gonna keep hurting kids unless we stop it, understand me?" Dean stared at the kid, but Michael just looked at them horrified before telling them to leave.

"Well, that went crappy. Now what?" Dean asked with a frown when the three came back to their motel room, their heads hanging low in defeat.

"What did you expect? You can't ask an adult to do something like that, much less a kid," Hayley pointed out.

There was a knock, and the three turned to look at the door before Sam opened it.

"If you kill it, will Asher get better?" Michael stood in the door frame, desperately looking at them.

"Honestly? We don't know," Dean replied softly as he walked over to the boy and crouched down to his height.

"You said you were a big brother," Michael said, and Dean nodded. "You'd take care of your little brother? You'd do anything for him?"

"Yeah, I would," he replied and smiled back at Sam.

"Me too. I'll help," Michael agreed confidently, and Dean gave him a thankful pat on the shoulder.

* * *

Hayley placed four different night vision cameras in Michael's room and set up her laptop in the neighboring one.

"Where did you get all this stuff anyway?" Dean asked her as he looked into the lens of one of the cameras.

"I…you know, borrowed it from CCPD?" She threw him a guilty look.

"You _stole_ it?" He chuckled.

"What? I'll bring it back after we're done, so technically it's _borrowed_ ," she emphasized but broke into laughter soon too. "We're all set up," she declared.

"What do I do?" Michael asked Dean as he waited patiently on his bed while the three prepared the room. Dean moved to sit with him.

"Just stay under the covers," he told the boy.

"And if it shows up?"

"We'll be right in the next room." He looked over to Hayley with a smile. "And Hayley's gonna get you out of there as soon as this thing comes. Sam and I are gonna come in with guns. So, when we do, you two hide under the bed."

"What if you shoot me?" Michael asked him.

"We won't shoot you. We're good shots," Dean replied, and the kid smiled at him. "We're not going to fire until you're clear, okay? Have you heard a gunshot before?"

"Like in the movies?"

"It's gonna be a lot louder than in the movies. So I want you to stay under the bed, cover your ears, do not come out until we say so. You understand?" Michael nodded hesitantly at him. "Michael, you sure you wanna do this?" He looked terrified at Dean. "You don't have to. It's okay, I won't be mad."

"No, I'm okay. Just don't shoot me," Michael repeated worriedly.

"Don't worry. Hayley here is pretty fast," Dean said, and she threw him an amused look. She had to admit – seeing Dean's interactions with the kid might have been his most adorable side yet.

"Like the Flash?" Michael suddenly asked, and Hayley's eyes widened excitedly at her notoriety. She really only blamed her sister's fabulous writing skills for it. Dean frowned – this would be sending her over the moon, never to return.

"We're not going to let anything happen to you. I promise," he assured Michael one last time.

* * *

The three had been sitting in the next room for what felt like forever, and the shtriga hadn't shown itself yet.

"What time is it?" Dean asked.

"Three," Sam whispered as he looked at his watch. "You sure these iron rounds are gonna work?"

" _Consecrated_ iron rounds, and yeah, it's what Dad used last time," Dean replied, whispering too. Sam looked down on his left arm, where Hayley had fallen asleep awhile ago.

"Hey Dean, I'm sorry," he stated.

"For what?" His brother asked, confused.

"You know, I've really given you a lot of crap for always following Dad's orders. But I know why you do it," Sam said with a sad look in his eyes.

"Oh, God, kill me now," Dean muttered and rolled his eyes back. Sam had promised him no chick-flick moments when they started their journey together, and now here they were. His little brother chuckled.

"Wait, look," Dean said and pointed at the screen. There was a movement by the window. "Speedy, time to wake up." He shook her softly awake.

She fluttered her eyes open before she immediately jumped up, ready again, and looked at the screen as the shtriga slid open the window and slipped into Michael's room. The boys picked up their guns, creeping to the door.

"Now?" Hayley whispered.

"Not yet," Dean replied as he carefully glanced through the little door crack. It still needed to feed.

The hooded figure moved closer to Michael's bed until it leaned over him. They watched as the shtriga opened its mouth and started to draw the boy's energy.

Dean nodded at Sam and Hayley, and she burst through the door as the brothers started shooting at the witch.

Michael and Hayley were already safely hiding under the bed when they heard multiple shots were fired. They both flinched at the loud noises before she heard the shtriga drop to the ground. Or at least, she hoped it was the shtriga.

"You guys are fine?" Dean asked, and she realized the question was directed at her and Michael.

"Awesome," Hayley replied, a little breathlessly. It was damn tight under that bed.

"Good. Just stay put," Dean ordered them before he approached the shtriga, his gun ready to draw again. He relaxed a little when there wasn't any movement and glanced over to Sam. But the shtriga still wasn't dead and rose again, grabbing Dean by his throat and slamming him against the wall.

"Dean!" Sam shouted in horror just as the shtriga moved on to him, throwing him to the ground. It opened its mouth and started drawing his vitality. He tried to reach for his gun, but the shtriga's hold was too strong and drained him of all his energy.

"Hey!" Dean yelled at the shtriga, and it spun around to face him. He was more than ready and shot it right between its eyes, and the thing dropped to the dirty motel room floor.

"You okay, little brother?" Dean asked Sam, who was gasping for air. He nodded and held up two thumbs at his older brother. They helped each other to their feet and watched as the energy flowed out of the shtriga, and little glowing bulbs left the room through the window.

Dean raised his gun, shooting the damn thing three more times at blank range until its body crumbled into a pile of ashes.

"You guys can come out now," Dean said as he saw Hayley's head peek out from under the bed, looking curiously at the shtriga's pulverized remains. Michael came to stand next to him with a satisfied smile. Their mission had been a success. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled back.

* * *

The brothers were packing the Impala as Hayley hopped out from their room, putting a test tube with gray dirt in her bag. The boys raised an eyebrow at her.

"Hayley, are those the shtriga's ashes?" Sam asked her with a chuckle.

"What? You have your hobbies, I have mine," she replied with a shrug. "Can't wait to process this baby in the lab."

"And what are you hoping to find?" Dean asked her, and Hayley's smile widened to a grin.

"Well, the answers to the universe, of course, Winchester," she replied, and the brothers shook their heads at her with a chuckle.

"Hey, Joanna. How's Asher doing?" Dean greeted Michael's mother as she walked out from the motel's office.

"Have you seen Michael?" She asked just as the boy came running up to her.

"Mom! Mom!" He sounded cheerful.

"Hey!" She greeted him with a big hug.

"How's Ash?" The boy asked, a hopeful glimmer in his eyes.

"Got some good news. Your brother's gonna be fine," she said and smiled widely at him.

"Really?" He asked with a happy grin.

"Yeah. Really. No one can explain it – it's a miracle. They're going to keep him in overnight for observation, and then he's coming home," she stated.

"That's great," Dean said and smiled too. He was glad all this was finally over for good.

"How are all the other kids doing?" Sam asked.

"Good. Real good. A bunch of them should be checking out in a few days. Dr. Travis says the ward's going to be like a ghost town," Joanna answered.

"Dr. Travis? What about Dr. Hydecker?" Hayley asked.

"Oh, he wasn't in today. Must have been sick or something," the mother replied.

"Yeah, yeah, must have," Dean replied with a sigh and looked over to his two accomplices.

"So, did anything happen while I was gone?" Joanna turned to her son, who glanced over to Dean.

"Nah, same old stuff," the boy lied like a pro.

"Okay. You can go see Ash," she told him, and the kid could barely hide his smile before running off to the car. She laughed. "I, uh, I'd better get going before he hotwires the car and drives himself," she said to the three with an apologetic smile and joined her son.

"It's too bad," Sam said as he watched them drive away.

"Oh, they'll be fine," Dean said reassuringly.

"That's not what I meant. I meant Michael. He'll always know there are things out there in the dark – he'll never be the same, you know?" Sam paused for a moment. "Sometimes I wish that…"

"What?" Dean asked, looking at his brother.

"I wish I could have that kinda innocence," he finally said.

"If it means anything, sometimes I wish you could too," Dean said and meant it before he moved to the driver's door, his hand lingering on the silver handle.

He noticed Hayley closely behind him and turned around. She frowned. "We're not gonna do our little dance again, are we?"

"What dance?" He asked her, an amused smile played across his face.

"The one where you tell me I can't come because you're pulling some weird protection crap on me that I'm just gonna ignore anyways," she stated matter-of-factly, looking at him.

The corners of his mouth twitched a little before turning into a full-on grin. He opened the door to the backseat for her like a gentleman.

"Really?" She grinned at him, and he rolled his eyes at her happiness. The least she could do was hide it from him.

"Just get in and stop gloating," he told her before grinning back as he climbed into the driver's seat of his Baby, driving off to their next job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading & I hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> Don't be shy and drop me a tiny comment below. Let me you know how you enjoyed this story so far ⚡️😈


	5. Provenance

**New Paltz, New York**

Dean had spent the last six weeks training Hayley. He had started with simple combat moves, some wrestling, some MMA. She was fast but lacked coordination, and Dean knew he had a lot of work ahead of him before he would start her on weaponry. The two would still bicker a lot, but at least they didn't hate each other anymore – much to Sam's relief. It had gotten exhausting.

Hayley had helped the boys with their cases. She was most comfortable with crime scenes and research but still hoped Dean would at least let her shoot a ghost soon. The oldest Winchester had also discovered her perks: any food from any place and at any time ( _Big Belly Burger_ from her hometown was his favorite so far), digging up graves at super-speed, and reading thousands of pages of research in a few seconds.

When she wasn't hunting with the Winchesters or training with Dean, she worked in her lab at CCPD, did _more_ training with Dr. Wells and Cisco for her speed, and had family dinners with the Wests or hung out with Mike, Caitlin, and Iris at the _Blue River Bar_ in Central City.

Sam, on the other hand, had spent the last few weeks teaching Hayley about the lore and everything monsters while also dragging his companions across the country for hunts. He had found them a new case in upstate New York this time, where Dean had immediately located the nearest pub. Dean and Hayley had made themselves comfortable at the bar counter while the youngest Winchester had retreated to a booth with his research.

"What else did you find out?" Dean asked Hayley as they enjoyed a couple of beers. He had tried to help her figure out what happened to her mother. So far, he was still entirely clueless.

"Nothing, really. I just tried to remember everything I could from that night. There was definitely red and yellow lightning, it looked sorta like a person, and...oh, uh, the water in my aquarium was flowing in the air when I woke up that night."

"Definitely hadn't heard that one before," Dean sighed, shaking his head. Initially, he had hoped, he could help her figure it out in a week or so and send her on her way again. But she was still here, and so was he.

"Well, scientifically speaking, it could mean-," she started to muse but was quickly interrupted by Dean.

"Whoa, whoa, Speedy. We've talked about this. No science talk," Dean reprimanded her, cocking a brow.

"Fine," Hayley frowned. "Is he always like this?" she asked, gesturing at poor Sam, who was too focused on his laptop screen to have any fun. She had tried to get him out of his shell a little, and they had at least managed to have a movie night once a week. They had just finished all six parts of _Star Wars_ yesterday. But drinking, meeting new people? Out of the question.

"Well, he was always a weirdo, but since Jessica...he definitely closed off more," Dean admitted, taking a sip from his beer. He had tried to get his little brother's mind off his girlfriend's death but to no avail. Granted, Hayley was a lot better at it than he was – his methods had always been a little questionable.

"He's not a weirdo. Stop calling him that," Hayley scolded with a chuckle, shaking her head at him.

"Fine," Dean mumbled with an eye-roll. "Ready for training tomorrow?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her, and she laughed.

"Depends on what your plan is and how much we drink tonight," Hayley replied and drank more of her beer, which she had spiked a little with her own speedster-booze formula.

"Huh, well, I'm gonna try my luck with either one of those two ladies," Dean stated, nodding his head slightly behind him.

"Brunette with a low-cut and a blonde with a little black dress. Very cliché, Dean," she teased him.

"Says you. I know you've been checking out surfer boy by the pool table since we walked in here," Dean countered with a smirk.

"Yeah, he's got big hands," she grinned dreamily.

"Oh God," Dean huffed and banged his head against the wooden counter. Having girl talks with an actual girl was entirely new territory for him. He didn't even know how he got here; Hayley somehow had just inserted herself into his life.

"And full confession, I saw a glimpse of a tattoo."

"Welp, that's it. Full-on douchebag. Definitely your type," Dean said teasingly, and she narrowed her eyes at him playfully.

"What can I say? I like 'em stupid," she said and tilted her head at him with a devilish smile.

"Why are you looking at me when you say that?" Dean protested but didn't take her teasing seriously, chuckling all the way, and she stuck her tongue out at him. While he could live without the girl talk, Hayley was a pretty fun road companion. She'd drink with him, she'd sing with him in the Impala, she'd always get enough food, and she was a good conversationalist.

"We should check in with Sam before we continue our evening," Hayley suggested.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Oh, c'mon, Speedy. He's fine," he argued, and Hayley threw him a look.

"C'mon, Winchester. Only takes five minutes," she said and grabbed him by his wrist, dragging him over to Sam's table.

"Hey Sam," she said softly, giving him a big comforting smile.

Sam glanced up at them, slightly annoyed. "Guys, you don't need to check up on me."

"See? Told you he's fine," Dean mumbled, earning him a jab in his rips from Hayley.

"What did you find about the case?" Hayley asked Sam, ignoring the oldest Winchester.

"Mark and Ann Telesca of New Paltz, New York were both found dead in their own home a few days ago. Throats were slit. There were no prints, no murder weapons, all doors and windows locked from the inside," Sam informed them.

"Could just be a garden variety murder, you know – not our department," Dean replied, taking a sip from his beer bottle.

"No. Dad says different," Sam stated.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked as Sam took out a map and started pointing at it.

"Dad noted three murders in the same area of upstate New York. First one here in 1912, second one right here in 1945, and the third in 1970, the same M.O. as the Telescas. Their throats were slit, doors were locked from the inside. Now, so much time had passed between murders that nobody checked the pattern except Dad. He kept his eyes peeled for another one," Sam explained.

"And now we got one. All right, I'm with ya. It's worth checking out. We can't pick this up 'til first thing though, right?" Dean asked and looked expectantly at Sam. "I got two girls over there, could possibly hook you up. What do you think?"

"Dean, no thanks, I can get my own dates," Sam responded grumpily.

"Yeah, you can, but you don't," Dean muttered under his breath. Hayley kicked his leg and shot him a warning look. By now, the whole world knew Sam needed to get out of his cocoon, but she wasn't sure pushing him into a bar hook-up was the right thing for him.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sam asked his brother.

"Nothing," Dean shrugged and shared a look with Hayley. "See you tomorrow, Sammy."

* * *

Sam was up early, filled three plastic cups with disgusting motel coffee, and woke up the two dead-asleep party animals. At this point, Sam didn't know which one was worse – Dean and Hayley constantly fighting or actually getting along. He dragged them into the Impala but was unsuccessful in convincing them to come with him into the Telesca's home. The house was already emptied by moving companies, and after a furrow EMF sweep, he determined nothing was wrong with the building.

He returned to Dean and Hayley and informed them of his findings. The family's history was clean, so the three's theory fell on a cursed object. They located the Telesca's furniture to an auction house near the country club in town. As they walked across the parking lot, Hayley glanced at the expensive cars and some folks of the upper-class mingling in fancy clothes. She knew immediately the three of them were out of place. She was wearing a plaid skirt and her scarlet leather jacket, Dean was wearing the usual flannel under his indigo jacket, and Sam was pretty much his twin in olive.

The floors and walls inside the building were shining white marble with hints of gold, classical violin music was playing in the background, and antique furniture and paintings were neatly displayed. Dean swiftly grabbed a handful of finger food as a waiter passed him with a tray.

"Consignment auctions, estate sales. Looks like a garage sale for wasps if you ask me," Dean whispered to them, taking even more food from a buffet table behind him.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" An older man approached them, dressed in a black suit and tie. He looked displeased at the sight of the three, and it reminded Hayley a lot of her ex-boyfriend's mother. That woman had also been quite the snobby treat.

Dean just looked the guy up and down before he stuffed his mouth with more food, not giving a damn about the fanciness around him. He didn't care to fit in with these people.

"I'd like some champagne, please," Dean retorted, mimicking a posh voice, and Hayley chortled next to him.

"He's not a waiter," Sam hissed and looked at his brother sharply. Dean was like a wild animal sometimes that hadn't been housebroken yet. Sam held out his hand to the fancy man, introducing himself, "I'm Sam Connors."

The man just kept staring at him, not taking the youngest Winchester up on his invitation for a handshake.

"That's my brother Dean and his fiancée, Hayley. We're art dealers, with Connors Limited," Sam continued, unhindered by the man's death-stare.

Dean grinned at Hayley at his little brother's introduction and planned to exploit the situation. She narrowed her ocean eyes at him before he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him. She eventually obliged to his scheme and stole some food from his hand. Her stomach had been growling the whole damn morning because Sam had forgotten to feed her.

" _You_ are art dealers?" The man raised an eyebrow at them doubtingly.

"That's right," Sam asserted with a confident nod.

"I'm Daniel Blake. This is my auction house. Now, this is a private showing, and I don't remember seeing you on the guest list," the man replied.

"We're there, chuckles. You just need to take another look," Dean replied cockily with a full mouth. Another waiter passed him with a tray of drinks, and he swiped a glass.

"Oh, finally." Dean turned back to Mr. Blake and sniffed the flute of champagne, raising his brows before he walked away, pulling Hayley by her arm with him. Sam hastily followed them.

The brothers and Hayley then looked around the auction house and wondered about all the weird crap rich people were interested in buying. They stopped by a painting of a family, and Sam curiously took a closer look at it. The portrait showed a husband and wife and their three children – two sons and a daughter holding a doll.

"A fine example of American Primitive, wouldn't you say?"

The three turned around, surprised. The voice belonged to a beautiful young woman with dark hair tied up in a loose bun. She wore a long, elegant midnight-black dress and threw them the kindest smile as she flowed down the big spiral staircase.

 _What an entrance_ , Hayley thought. Even Dean seemed to think so as he slapped Sam's arm, starry-eyed.

"Well, I'd say it's more Grant Wood than Grandma Moses," Sam replied as he glanced back at the painting. "But you knew that. You just wanted to see if I did," he smiled at her. Both Dean and Hayley stared perplexed at him.

"Guilty. And clumsy. I apologize." She curtseyed jokingly. "I'm Sarah Blake."

"I'm Sam. This is my brother Dean and his fiancée, Hayley."

"If he says that one more time, I'm gonna kick him in the groin," Hayley muttered to Dean, who was still busy stuffing food into his mouth.

"Dean, can we get you some more mini-quiche?" Sarah asked him politely with a chuckle.

"I'm good, thanks," he stated, still chewing and swallowing his last bite.

"So, can I help you with something?" Sarah asked, glancing at Sam.

"Yeah, actually. What can you tell us about the Telesca estate?"

"The whole thing's pretty grisly if you ask me, selling your things this soon. But Dad's right about one thing, sensationalism brings out the crowds. Even the rich ones," she replied.

"Is it possible to see the provenances?" Sam asked, and Hayley was now really baffled with Sam. She hadn't taken him for an art enthusiast.

"I'm afraid there isn't any chance of that," Mr. Blake replied for Sarah as he appeared behind his daughter like a looming shadow.

"Why not?"

"You're not on the guest list. And I think it's time to leave," he stated, irritated but too polite to show any real emotion.

"Well, we don't have to be told twice," Dean replied in his posh voice again.

"Apparently, you _do_ ," Mr. Blake emphasized and threw Dean a stern look.

"Okay. It's all right. We don't want any trouble. We'll go," Sam threw in, trying to calm the situation.

Dean cocked his eyebrows at the man before he wrapped his arm around Hayley's waist again. She groaned in annoyance as he gestured her out. Sam glanced back at Sarah as he followed the two outside, and she looked at him apologetically.

* * *

"Grant Wood, Grandma Moses?" Dean asked his little brother with a raised eyebrow as he unlocked the door to their motel room.

"Art history course. It's good for meeting girls," Sam responded, and Hayley giggled.

"It's like I don't even know you," Dean stated and shot his little brother a surprised look, shaking his head.

Hayley and Dean stopped for a moment and looked around the room, baffled. The decoration looked like it came straight from a 70s disco as a lot of silver and mirrors lined the walls, matching the mid-century modern white furniture.

"I hate to say it, but I'm pretty sure someone already shot porn in here," Hayley pointed out. She felt blinded by all the shimmering silver surfaces.

"You guys were probably too drunk to notice yesterday," Sam chuckled.

Hayley and Dean shared a look before nodding, "Yeah."

Dean threw himself on one of the beds before he turned to Sam. "What was…providence?"

"Prov-e-nance," Sam corrected him. "It's a certificate of origin, like a biography."

"We can use them to check the history of the pieces. See if any of them have a freaky past," Hayley chimed in as she walked into the bathroom, unpacking some of her stuff.

"Huh. Well, we're not getting anything out of chuckles, but Sarah," Dean said and snapped his fingers at Sam with a smirk.

"Yeah, maybe you can get her to write it all down on a cocktail napkin," Sam replied with a snigger.

"Not me," Dean responded, laughing.

"No, no, no. Pick-ups are your thing, Dean," Sam said defiantly.

"It wasn't his butt she was checking out," Hayley yelled from the bathroom.

"You hear that, Sammy?" Dean said, and the brothers exchanged a look.

"In other words, you want me to use her to get information," Sam frowned.

"Sometimes you gotta take one for the team," Dean replied simply, grinning all the way.

"Call her," Hayley agreed.

Sam had reluctantly called Sarah, and they met up in a high-class restaurant. Meanwhile, Hayley had decided to finally take a long shower after Sam had them woken up so uncomfortably in the morning and dragged them into the car without much discussion. In contrast, Dean had decided to grab some food for them, and she enjoyed being alone for once and make good use of her bathroom time. Sometimes living with the Winchesters in tight quarters felt like her mixed college dorm all over again.

When Dean came back, the water was still running, so he plopped down on the bed again, eating his burger with relish while he went through more of Sam's research. Maybe Hayley had been right all along, and pushing Sam into some bar one-night-stand was the wrong move. His little brother had been much easier to convince when it came to taking out Sarah.

He heard the water stopped running and glanced up from his books as Hayley walked out of the bathroom, only a towel wrapped around her. She looked at him like a deer in headlights, clearly not expecting him back so soon. The corners of his mouth rose to form a big smirk before an idea popped into his head.

"Hey, I thought since Sam was on a date, you and I could have some fun," Dean stated, trying to be mysterious and ambiguous on purpose. And it seemed to work – Hayley narrowed her baby-blue eyes warily at him.

"And what exactly would that be?" She asked carefully, and he chuckled.

"Get dressed. I'll tell you on the way," Dean replied, still not giving her a full answer.

She tilted her head at him suspiciously but complied either way and grabbed her oversized S.T.A.R. Labs sweatshirt and some black leggings from her weekend bag while Dean was already waiting in the Impala for her.

He drove them out of town until they reached the woods. He took a dirt road leading them deeper inside the forest. As Hayley watched the sea of oaks, maples, and beeches pass her by, she sincerely hoped Dean hadn't decided to kill her. In the short amount of time she had spent with the brothers, she had actually gotten quite used to her part-time life on the road. She even loved the smell of the leather in her nose when she fell asleep on the backseat of Dean's car and the soft classic rock that woke her back up from her slumber. Although she loved being alone in her apartment, sometimes it was nice having people around – especially people that understood.

Dean parked the car near a little abandoned hunter's cabin, surrounded by tall trees reaching to the clouds. He got a case of six-packs out of the trunk he had bought earlier, opened two of them, and handed one to Hayley before he grabbed a brown paper bag with empty beer bottles, which he had collected over the last week.

It was the first day of May, and the warm spring temperatures slowly changed to a familiar summer heat. Dean strolled over to a little fence post and placed several empty bottles on top of it before he joined Hayley again, who leaned casually against his Baby's trunk, sipping on her beer. He pulled his gun from behind his jeans and held it out to her. She looked up at him, confused.

"That's your idea of fun? Shooting bullets and drinking beer?" She cocked one of her eyebrows before she glanced hesitantly down at the gun in his hand. "What are we, rednecks?"

Dean smiled at her but was still patiently holding out the firearm to her, not answering.

"Dean, I was raised by a cop, _and_ I'm a certified RSO at CCPD. I know how to shoot a gun," Hayley stated.

"You're a range master?" Dean furrowed his brow in disbelief. He knew Hayley was talented in many areas (mostly real geeky stuff) and smart as hell, but he hadn't taken her for quite the gun fanatic.

"Uh, yes. And it's not like I _wanted_ to do it. The old one retired, and Captain Singh needed someone who he could trust and would respect the rules, keep in accordance with all the safety guidelines...I believe his exact words were 'Let the nerd do it,'" Hayley imitated the Captain's bossy tone with a laugh.

"That makes a lot more sense," Dean chuckled. "So you know how to shoot?" She nodded confidently. "Great, then prove it," he challenged her with a grin and placed his gun in her hand.

She threw him an annoyed look but handed him her beer bottle before she removed the safety, took aim, and shot three times in a matter of seconds, shattering each bottle completely.

Dean whistled lowly, nodding impressed. "Not bad," he admitted.

"Not bad?" She glanced up at him with a cocky grin, putting the safety back on and handing the weapon back to him. "I have an accuracy range of 0.2 mm. You want me to calculate that for you?"

He grimaced at her. "No, thanks. But kinda surprised a mathlete is such a good shot," he huffed.

She giggled. "Are you kidding me? Dean, I can calculate wind flags, airflow, acceleration speed, distance..." He stared, perplexed. "But I do have to say, I wasn't always this good. Having superpowers definitely made a difference."

"What do you mean? You weren't using them now."

"Uhm, I'm kinda _always_ using them...at least in some way, shape, or form. I don't know how to explain it. I can't really control it," she stated with a shrug.

"Try," he smiled. While he wouldn't want to switch with Hayley and have any abilities ever himself, he was quite curious how her powers worked. First of all, he needed to know how they worked, so he could use it to train her properly. And secondly, he liked the way she talked about her ability – like a gift. Unlike Sam, whose powers were a curse so far, not to mention utterly useless on a daily basis.

"Well, when something's moving, especially if it's fast, my eyes kinda adjust to it. Time slows, even completely stands still sometimes, frozen. And there's this calm that washes over you. It just feels peaceful and...quiet," she smiled as her ocean eyes twinkled up at him.

"Sounds nice," he agreed softly, matching her facial expression. He could use a little peace and quiet sometimes too. "But also feels kinda lonely, right?"

She chuckled. "Well, I do spend a lot of time with you and Sam, or my family, S.T.A.R. Labs, work, friends," she listed off elements of her busy everyday life. "Sometimes quiet is good."

"Right," he nodded understandingly, knowing she had a lot on her plate. Her life had completely turned upside down when she was struck by that lightning bolt and thrown into this weird new reality. Hayley had always had _something_ in her life, whereas he had just his father and brother. And when both of them left him, he had been completely alone, and no one cared if he lived or died. Hell, they wouldn't even have noticed until it would have been too late and he was dead in a ditch somewhere, half-eaten by a monster before Sam and his father would've gotten there. Dean never wanted to be alone, much less with his own dark thoughts. Which is why he got Sam from Stanford in the first place.

"You okay?" She tilted her head sideways, and a comforting smile appeared on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He cleared his throat and took a big gulp of his beer, hoping she wouldn't notice his uncomfortableness. "So, uh, if you're such a good shot, how come you're acting all skittish out on the field?"

She bit her lip, staring down silently at green spring grass underneath her sneakers. "Well, some might argue there's still a difference between shooting an inanimate object and a living, breathing person."

" _Some_ might agree with you," he noted, a smile appearing on his lips as he took another sip from his bottle.

"I know you don't," she sighed, glancing up at him as they leaned against the Impala, enjoying the last sun rays of the day.

"It's not that I _don't_. The point is, those things we hunt...they aren't people," he argued but did so in a gentle tone. If he had learned one thing about Hayley the past few weeks – that girl had a heart of gold, who couldn't even kill a spider.

"But they used to be, right? I mean, most of the lore says they are turned, so it's like a disease. And if it's a disease, there must be a cure. There's always a cure," Hayley countered in the logical manner she always did.

"Well, lore's crap. No one knows where they came from, and no one's ever found a cure. So the only way to get rid of them and protect people is to kill them."

"Look, it's not like I don't see all of that. I have no problem sending spirits to the underworld or shooting a criminal in the knee so he can't escape. But decapitating a vampire, stabbing someone in the heart, God knows what else...? It's a lot to take in," she admitted, folding her arms across her chest. She didn't want to seem weak in front of him. While they had been sort of friendly recently, Dean had given her a hard time in the beginning, and she didn't want to get kicked out again.

He was silent for a minute, thinking about his own dark memories again from past hunts. He knew it was never fun to see, especially for a civilian. He almost felt guilty he had grown so accustomed to killing monsters, he couldn't relate to normal people anymore. And Hayley had just proven once more to him that she might be even more human than him and Sam combined. Her humanity and innocence in all of this might be annoying to him most of the time, but deep inside, he knew it was also the thing that had made life a little more bearable the past few weeks. He wouldn't want to take that away from her.

"It's okay," Dean stated as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. Through the lingering darkness, he could still see the surprised look on her face, and it made him chuckle.

"Really?" Hayley wrinkled her brow suspiciously.

" _Really_ ," he affirmed. "Honestly, when we started this, I figured it was more of a, uh, _muscle-brain_ type of deal anyway."

She giggled. "I like that arrangement, Winchester."

"I mean, you're helluva good at crime scenes," he complimented her but cleared his throat quickly. "And I don't mind killing things." In fact, he had never given it much thought, even before.

"Oh, I know." She threw him a sideways glance with a chuckle. "You tried to kill me, remember?"

"Yeah, well, for what it's worth...would've been a mistake," he replied and bit his lip, taking another sip of beer a little flustered as she observed him curiously.

Sometimes their interactions confused him as the lines between bickering, bantering, bonding and straight-up flirting blurred more and more. He blamed both Hayley and Sam equally for it. Hayley, because she had allowed him to flirt with her the night they met and opened that door in the first place. And Sam, because he had basically threatened Dean not to hit on their new friend, which was idiotic as that only made it more appealing. Had his brother never heard about forbidden fruits?

And maybe it was just awkward for him because he had never hung out with a woman this much without trying to sleep with her. Hayley certainly didn't seem to feel uncomfortable at the slightest, and she was more of an expert than him when it came to collecting friends. So he mostly swallowed those tiny thoughts of naughtiness that crossed his mind every once in a while and moved on.

"So, what do you think? Wanna try bow hunting next?" Dean grinned at her.

"Uh-huh. Not gonna happen." She shook her head, laughing, and he joined in.

* * *

When Dean and Hayley made it back to the motel room, it was already past midnight. They'd figured Sam might stay out later and had occupied themselves with some poker and beers while Dean had turned on the radio of the Impala, playing soft music as they had some fun and chatted. Dean was surprised to find out she was even an excellent poker player but didn't know she could actually count cards. She planned on never telling him that, though, fearing a trip to Vegas. Dean couldn't be trusted with this sort of valuable knowledge. Besides, he had made fun one too many times of her math skills – and no one messes with her math.

They were more than baffled to find Sam already at home, studying more research at the dining table.

"Hey, where have you guys been?" He glanced up from his research at them suspiciously. He guessed they might have sought out the bar again, but frankly, he didn't fully trust his older brother alone with Hayley.

"Training. Went to the woods to shoot some bottles," Dean replied, partially truthful. He left out the other stuff on purpose, reckoning another one of Sam's lectures.

"How was your date with Sarah?" Hayley asked and smiled at the youngest Winchester.

"Uh, good. She gave me the provenances," Sam replied, and Hayley sighed, throwing him a look.

"So she just handed the providences over to you?" Dean questioned, furrowing his brow at his little brother.

"Provenances," Sam corrected him.

"Pro-ve-nan-ces?" Dean spelled out with a raised brow, and Hayley giggled.

"Yes. We went back to her place. I got a copy of the papers," Sam said casually without looking up. His date with Sarah went well even after some initial awkwardness. But all he could think about was Jessica and how he could never go back to that life again.

"Oh, so you _did_ go to her place. _And_?" Hayley grinned, leaning forward curiously as she sat cross-legged on the bed.

Sam threw her a glare. _Not her too_ , he thought.

"And nothing. That's it. I left," Sam replied swiftly.

"You didn't have to con her or do any… _special_ favors or anything like that?" Dean wiggled his brows with a cheeky grin as he plopped down on his bed next to Hayley.

"Guys, would you get your mind out of the gutter, please?" Sam said to them, annoyed, but the oldest Winchester just laughed at him.

"You know when this whole thing's done, we could stick around for a little bit," he suggested.

"Why?" Sam cocked an eyebrow.

"So you could take her out again," Hayley gave him a leg up. She didn't know whether Sam was purposely playing dumb or if he really was _that_ oblivious.

"It's obvious you're into her. Even _I_ could see that," Dean pointed out.

But Sam ignored them and stared at the papers in front of him. "Hey, I think I've got something here," he said, handing Hayley a bunch of papers.

" _Portrait of Isaiah Merchant's family painted 1910_ ," she read. It looked awfully similar to that painting of the family in the auction house.

"Now compare the names of the owners with Dad's journal," Sam said, and Dean grabbed the journal to look at his father's notes.

"First purchased in 1912, Peter Simms. Peter Simms murdered 1912. Same thing in 1945. Oh, same thing in 1970," Dean confirmed Sam's hypothesis.

"Then stored, until it was donated to a charity auction last month, where the Telescas bought it," the youngest Winchester finished. "So what do you think? It's haunted or cursed?"

"Either way, it's toast," Dean concluded simply.

Breaking and entering was a felony and a part of the job, Hayley probably felt the most uncomfortable with. Aside from the killing and the constant identity theft and lying. But what other choice was there when lives were at stake?

Dean parked Baby close to the auction house but far enough out of sight. The three walked the remaining distance, avoiding any unwanted attention. They managed to cross the big metal gate gracefully; Sam jumped down first, followed by Dean, who helped Hayley along like the gentleman he was. But the building itself was guarded by a heavy security system, only accessible through an entrance code.

However, Hayley cleverly figured out the security code didn't have a trial limit, so she tried all the different combinations until one worked. With a disarmed security system, the three were unhindered to roam the auction house and found the creepy painting quite fast, even without superpowers. Dean cut the image out of its frame, rolled it up before the three snuck back out of the auction house, and burned it in a field nearby.

After their successful hunt, they decided to sleep in for once before the brothers would hit the road again, and Hayley was long overdue for another work shift. In the morning, she quickly got the boys their favorite breakfast – something healthy for Sam and the opposite for Dean. But the oldest Winchester suddenly rushed out in a hurry.

"We got a problem – I can't find my wallet," Dean announced, searching the entire motel room in a panic.

"How is that _my_ problem?" Sam asked, still calmly packing his bag.

"'Cause I think I dropped it in the warehouse last night," Dean said, and Hayley narrowed her eyes at him skeptically, smelling another Winchester prank. Was she supposed to buy into his whole 'panicked' thing? She would have noticed if someone had left any evidence behind at that warehouse last night. It was her job to notice these things.

"You're kidding, right?" Sam asked and looked at his brother wide-eyed.

"No," Dean confirmed with a shake of his head. "It's got my prints, my ID, well, my fake ID anyway. We gotta get it before someone else finds it. Come on," he said as he grabbed the car keys.

As suspected, Dean had only feigned his panic attack and had his wallet all along. Coincidentally, the three ran into Sarah in the auction house again, giving Sam another chance to talk to her. Hayley couldn't help but smile at Dean's ridiculously elaborate plan to get his little brother laid. After his Oscar-worthy performance and the subsequent reveal of his wallet, Dean invented a silly excuse and snuck out with Hayley, leaving Sam to his own devices with Sarah.

Sam hated his older brother at that moment. He actually liked Sarah and didn't like lying to her. But what was he supposed to say? He wasn't an art dealer but a hunter, and they had absolutely no future together?

A few minutes later, Sam stormed out of the building and joined Hayley and Dean in the parking lot. However, something else besides Sarah had caught Sam's brown eyes inside – the creepy painting was back and seemed unharmed, considering they had ripped and burned it hours before.

"I don't understand, Dean, we burned the damn thing," Sam stated, perplexed as Dean drove them back to the motel.

"Yeah, thank you, Captain Obvious," Dean grunted. "All right, we just need to figure out another way to get rid of it. Any ideas?" He glanced at Hayley in the backseat, who only rolled her shoulders with a shake of her head.

"Okay, all right. Well, uhm, in almost all the lore about haunted paintings, it's always the painting's subject that haunts 'em," Sam mused.

"Yeah. So we just need to figure out everything there is to know about that creepy-ass family and that creepy-ass painting," Dean agreed, nodding.

* * *

The only thing in this town they could find that came close to a library was a second-hand bookstore with an easily-excitable proprietor. He was nice enough to hand the three all the books and old newspapers he could find on the Merchant family. Isaiah Merchant had slaughtered his entire family in 1912 over an alleged marital dispute before he committed suicide. He had not only slit his own throat, but those of his two sons, adopted daughter, and wife. At least, it explained the spirit's method of murder. Although the bodies had been cremated, the three were happy with their findings for now, and Hayley got a copy of the family portrait from one of the history books before they left again.

Sam was sprawled out on the bed in their motel room while Dean and Hayley were crouched over the little dining table. The boys were listening intently to her theory as she placed both pictures of the painting in front of her.

"I'm telling you guys, I'm sure of it. In the painting at the auction house, Sweeney Todd is looking down. Painting here, demonic barber's looking out. The painting has changed," Hayley stated and pointed her index finger at the father in her copy from the bookstore.

"All right, so you think that daddy dearest is trapped in the painting and is handing out Columbian neckties like he did with his family?" Dean questioned.

"Well yeah, it seems like it," Hayley replied with a shrug. She had no clue about ghosts or lore, but crime scenes and evidence she could do. Cases were just giant puzzles, after all.

"But if his bones are already dusted, then how are we gonna stop him?" Sam asked, and they looked over to him on the bed.

"All right, well, if Isaiah's position changed, then maybe some other things in the painting changed as well. You know it could give us some clues," Dean suggested, and Hayley looked at him, nodding impressed.

"What, like a _DaVinci Code_ deal?" She chuckled. He gave her a dumbfounded stare.

"I don't know. Uh…I'm still waiting for the movie on that one. Anyway, we gotta get back in and see that painting," he replied, and Sam and Hayley laughed. Dean got up from his chair and strolled to his bed, throwing himself onto the mattress, and crossed his arms coolly. "Which is a good thing 'cause you can get some more time to crush on your girlfriend," he chuckled, looking at Sam.

"Dude. Enough already." Sam frowned furiously.

"What?" Dean shrugged innocently.

Hayley banged her head against the table with a frustrated sigh. The brothers shot her a quick look before returning to their oncoming fight.

"What? Ever since we got here, you've been trying to pimp me out to Sarah. Just back off, all right?" Sam scowled at his older brother.

"Well, you like her, don't you?" Dean asked, and Sam just raised his arms and eyes to the ceiling. "All right, you like her, she likes you, you're both consenting adults…," he trailed off with a smirk.

"What's the point, Dean? We'll just leave. We always leave," Sam said, frustrated, the volume of his voice rising.

"Well, I'm not talking about marriage, Sam," Dean replied, laughing. He looked at Hayley as she slammed her head on the table once more and furrowed her brow at him.

_Seriously, Dean?_

"You know, I don't get it. What do you care if I hook up?" Sam was agitated now.

"'Cause then maybe you wouldn't be so cranky all the time," Hayley mumbled and bit down on her lip.

Sam spun around and stared at her in disbelief while Dean chortled on his bed. "You know, seriously Sam, this isn't about just hooking up, okay? I mean, I, I think that this Sarah girl could be good for you," he argued calmly as he sat up on his bed.

Sam sighed, scratching his head. He knew Dean was right. Even Hayley agreed with his brother, and that was _rare_.

"And…I don't mean any disrespect, but I'm sure this is about Jessica, right? Now I don't know what it's like to lose somebody like that…but I would think that she would want you to be happy," Dean added softly, watching his little brother closely. Sam said there quietly, taking everything in as tears came to his eyes at the memory of Jess. "God forbid, have fun once in a while. Wouldn't she?"

"Yeah, I know she would," Sam replied, giving him a half-smile before he sighed heavily, "Yeah, you're right. Part of this is about Jessica. But...not the main part."

"What's it about?" Dean asked, but Sam looked away instead, refusing to answer. "Yeah, all right," the oldest Winchester said, knowing he had pushed too far. He laid back down on his bed with folded arms.

"Well, we still gotta see that painting, which means you still gotta call Sarah, _soooo_ ," Hayley chimed in, glancing at Sam.

He cleared his throat before picking up his phone, and Dean shook his head with a content smile, closing his eyes.

"Sarah, hey, it's Sam. Hey, hi. Good. Good, yeah. Uhm. What about you?" Sam stammered into the phone.

Dean opened one eye again, watching his little brother with a smirk.

"Yeah, good, good, really good," Sam repeated nervously into the speaker.

" _Smooth,_ " Dean whispered teasingly, and Sam glared at him.

To his dismay, Sarah informed Sam the auction house had sold the painting, and the three moved quickly before Isaiah's spirit could claim another victim. Luckily, Sarah had been nice enough to provide Sam with an address. However, they hadn't expected her to show up at the house as well.

"Sam, what's happening?" She asked Sam as she waited in the driveway.

"I told you, you shouldn't have come," he replied as he rushed past her to the front porch, followed by both Dean and Hayley.

"Hello, anyone home?" Dean shouted as he banged against the door.

"You said Evelyn might be in danger. What sort of danger?" Sarah questioned, not leaving their heels.

"I can't knock this fucker down. I gotta pick it," Dean declared and pulled out his picking tools from his jacket pocket while Sam continued to bang against the windows.

Hayley, on the other hand, snuck away and tried to find another way inside. Hunting seemed especially hard when there were people around who didn't know she had superpowers. And she wasn't too fond of the idea of blasting it to just anyone.

"What are you guys, burglars?" Sarah asked in shock as she watched Dean pick open the front door with ease.

"I wish it was that simple. Look, you really should wait in the car. It's for your own good," Sam told her worriedly as Dean opened the door, and the brothers rushed inside.

"The hell I will. Evelyn's a friend," Sarah stated stubbornly and strolled straight inside the house.

"Evelyn?" Sarah shouted as she walked carefully through the foyer.

"Evelyn!" Dean called out as he entered the living room before he noticed Hayley at the center, frozen in place. "How did you get in?" He asked as he approached her.

"Back door was open," she replied without glancing at him.

She stared straight ahead, and he followed her eyes to the fireplace, the painting hanging eerily above it. An older woman sat in a lounging chair in front of it, but her face was turned away from the four.

"Evelyn? It's Sarah Blake. Are you all right?" Sarah asked as she slowly proceeded toward the chair, passing Dean and Hayley.

"Sarah, don't. Sarah!" Sam shouted, trying to grab her wrist as she reached out her arm to touch Evelyn's shoulder.

As the three hunters had already suspected, the woman's head tipped back and exposed her slashed throat, leaving them with Sarah's scream ringing in their ears.

* * *

Sarah had called the police after her initial shock had passed while Sam, Dean, and Hayley fled back to the motel before the cops arrived. However, as the sun rose, Sarah stormed into their room, pretty upset. The poor girl still had no idea who they were or what was going on, and Sam had a rough time explaining the family business of hunting monsters to her. But even she couldn't deny the man in the painting had moved and all the deadly coincidences surrounding it.

However, Sarah was more than adamant about joining them now. "Look, you guys are probably crazy, but if you're right about this? Well, me and my dad sold that painting that might've got these people killed. Look, I'm not saying I'm not scared because I am scared as hell, but…I'm not going to run and hide either," she declared, striding to the door. "So are we going or what?" She glanced back briefly at them before walking out.

"Sam?" Dean said, and Sam looked over to him. " _Marry_ that girl."

Hayley chuckled and nodded in agreement before they followed Sarah outside and drove back to Evelyn's home. It had been sealed off with police tape, but no cops were around anymore. They gracefully ducked underneath it and headed back inside, comparing the original painting to the copy again.

"Guys, look, the razor – it's closed in this one, but it's open in that one," Hayley stated as she held up the copy in front of her.

"What are you guys looking for?" Sarah asked curiously, looking over Hayley's shoulder at the copied version.

"Well, if the spirit's changing aspects of the painting, then it's doing so for a reason," Dean replied.

"Hey, hey, look at this. The painting in the painting," Sam noted and pointed to the painting in the background behind the family. The original showed a normal countryside, whereas the painting in front of them offered something different.

"Looks like a crypt, or a mausoleum or something," Dean mused and walked a few careful steps closer to it.

Hayley came up behind him and took out a small black and transparent device from her bag. She held the portable magnifier over the little painting in the painting. " _Merchant_ ," she read from the inscription on the crypt and glanced back at the boys.

* * *

New Paltz was a comparatively small town, but it still somehow had four decided it was best to split, and while Sam and Dean entertained Sarah on one graveyard, Hayley neatly checked out all the other three.

"So, this is what you guys do for a living?" Sarah raised one of her brows as she strolled alongside Sam.

"Not exactly. We don't get paid," Sam joked.

"Well, Mazel tov," Sarah mumbled.

"Guys!" Hayley came running up to them – at average human speed. "I checked out the other three cemeteries. No crypt," she announced.

"Wow, you checked out all three in half an hour?" Sarah asked, and Dean rolled his eyes at Hayley.

"Yeah, I'm kinda fast like that," Hayley chuckled, earning her a glare from Dean.

"Couldn't have stopped for ice cream, huh Speedy?" He whispered to her, raising an eyebrow before his forest green eyes caught something in the distance. "Over there." He tapped Hayley on her arm to get her attention and walked ahead to the little mausoleum.

The others followed Dean as he broke open the lock of the door. The crypt was full of dust and cobwebs, and Dean pushed them aside to make way for the girls. The walls were full of various signs of different names, and the brothers walked over to four urns with glass boxes behind them.

"Okay, that right there – is the creepiest thing I've ever seen," Sarah pointed out as she stood in front of one of the glass containers, looking at a little girl's doll.

"It was a sort of tradition at the time. Whenever a child died, sometimes they'd preserve the kid's favorite toy in a glass case, put it next to the headstone or crypt," Hayley said as she glanced at the doll.

"Notice anything strange here?" Dean asked as a gust of cold wind blew through the door and rustled some leaves around.

"Uh, where do I start?" Sarah stated sarcastically, looking around the creepy mausoleum.

Sam chuckled as he watched her. He admired her bravery – a couple of hours ago, she hadn't even known all this existed, and now she was here with them, hunting a ghost.

"No, that's not what I mean. Look at the urns," Dean hinted.

"Oh, yeah! There are only four," Hayley finally realized.

"Yeah, mom and the three kids. Daddy dearest isn't here," Dean said, looking back at Sam.

"So where is he?" Sam asked, frustrated with this hunt already.

* * *

The four drove to the county office buildings next. Dean and Hayley went inside, leaving Sam and Sarah behind to give them some alone time, and the two sat down on a small concrete wall outside the building.

"So what exactly are they doing in there?" Sarah asked Sam after they had been sitting and waiting there quietly.

"Searching county death certificates, trying to find out what happened to Isaiah's body," Sam explained.

"How'd they even get in the door?" Sarah asked.

"Lying and subterfuge mostly. Although Hayley works for the police, so she might have more luck legally," Sam said with a chuckle. "You have a, uh, you have an eyelash on your right…no, uh, you know what," Sam stammered as he watched Sarah reach for the loose eyelash, searching her face with her fingertips and, he laughed. "Do you mind if I get it?"

"No," she smiled at him, her cheeks blushing a rosy-red as he reached out his hand and gently grabbed the eyelash between his fingers.

"Okay, I got it. Make a wish," he said with a smile, and she laughed before she softly blew it away.

"Sam, can I ask you something?"

When she glanced up at him, he thought she was beautiful as her dark brown hair shimmered in the golden afternoon sun, and her green eyes stared mesmerizingly at him.

"Yeah, sure," he replied but already regretted the answer.

"I don't mean to be forward, but a girl could wait here forever. Is there something here between us? Or am I delusional?" She bit her lower lip with a small smile.

"You're not delusional," Sam said but fell quiet again.

"But there's a _but_ coming," Sarah stated, disappointedly looking away.

" _But_ …I don't think this would be a good idea," he sighed.

"Can I ask why?" She wouldn't be told off _that_ easy.

"'Cause I like you," Sam replied with a shrug.

She laughed, shaking her head confused. "Wait. You lost me."

They both started to laugh before Sam became serious again. "Look, it's hard to explain. Uh, it's just when people are around me – I don't know, they get hurt," he said, staring down at his hands in his lap before he dared to look at her again.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean like _physically_ hurt. With what me and my brother do, it's…," he trailed off, taking a deep breath. "Sarah, I had a girlfriend. And she died. And my mom died too. I don't know, it's like, it's like I'm cursed or something. Like death just follows me around. Look, I'm not scared of much, but if I let myself have feelings for anybody…"

"You're scared they'd get hurt too," she finished for him. "That's very sweet. And very archaic."

He looked back up at her, surprised. "Sorry?"

"Look, I'm a big girl Sam, it's not your job to make decisions for me. There's always a chance of getting hurt," she told him.

"I'm not talking about a broken heart and a tub of Häagen Dazs. I'm talking about life and death," Sam argued. He didn't really expect her to be this stubborn.

"And tomorrow, I could get hit by a bus. That's what life is. Look, I know losing somebody you love – it's terrible. You shut yourself off. Believe me, I know. But when you shut out pain, you shut out everything else too," Sarah stated as her crystal green eyes pierced through him.

"Sarah, you don't understand. The pain that I went through…I can't go through it again. I can't," he said, shaking his head before their conversation abruptly ended when Hayley and Dean strolled out of the building again.

"Am I interrupting something?" Dean asked, and Hayley sighed. She had tried to keep him in longer when she saw the looks on Sarah and Sam's faces.

"No," Sam replied, a little annoyed.

"Not at all," Sarah said with an uncomfortable smile.

"Huh. Apparently," Dean commented, looking between the two of them.

"Told you," Hayley mumbled, and Dean rolled his shoulders back.

"So, what'd you get?" Sam asked, interrupting their not-so-silent conversation.

"Nothing. The surviving relatives of the Merchant family were so ashamed of Isaiah that they didn't want him interred with the rest of the family," Hayley replied.

"So, they handed him over to the county; the county gave him a pauper's funeral. Economy style. Turns out he wasn't cremated – he was buried in a pine box," Dean added.

"So there _are_ bones to burn," Sam noted, glancing at them as they both smiled widely and nodded heavily.

"There are bones to burn," Dean confirmed.

"Tell me you know where," Sam said, and Dean shot him a grin.

* * *

The four waited past midnight before they returned to the cemetery. Sam and Dean were already knee-deep in a grave, shoveling dirt, while Hayley sat on the edge with a beer as Sarah stood behind her and shone a flashlight down at the boys. Sam crawled out of the grave with a gasp and positioned himself next to Sarah.

"You guys seem to be uncomfortably comfortable with this," Sarah stated with a glance down at Dean, who was sweating and dirty as he leaned on his shovel for support, heavily breathing.

Hayley held out a bottle of beer to him with a smile, and he took a sip thankfully before he continued digging.

"Well, uh, this isn't exactly the first grave we've dug. Still think I'm a catch?" Sam chuckled, and Sarah joined in.

"You know this would be a lot faster if you would do some digging," Dean complained, giving a sideways look to Hayley.

"You want me to get dirty, Winchester?" She raised an eyebrow playfully, biting down on her tongue with a grin before she hopped down into the grave. She switched her beer bottle for his shovel and took a quick look back up at Sarah.

Dean followed her gaze and winked at Hayley knowingly. He jumped up to join Sarah and Sam before he turned Sarah away from the grave. "Hey, Sarah, have you ever seen a moon this beautiful? I mean, Sammy here knows lots of romantic crap about it, don't you?" Dean successfully distracted the civilian, and Hayley shook her head with a giggle before she used her speed to dig.

"Think I've got something," she declared as she tapped her shovel against something hard.

Dean jumped back into the grave, taking the shovel back, and cracked open the pine coffin lid before the two looked down at a dusty old skeleton. Sam poured salt over the body while Hayley doused it in kerosene before Dean stroke a match – teamwork at its finest.

The last thing they needed to do was checking if their trick had worked this time, and the Impala pulled up in front of Evelyn's house again. Sam jumped out of the car first, closely followed by Sarah, who had shared the backseat with him as Dean had forced Hayley to give up her usual spot to give the two lovebirds some space.

"Keep the motor running," Sam told Dean as the youngest Winchester ran for the door.

"I thought the painting was harmless now?" Sarah asked as she trailed behind him.

"Better safe than sorry. We're gonna bury the sucker," Sam declared.

"I'm going with you," she stated stubbornly.

"You sure?" He looked at her, but by now, he knew he couldn't keep this girl from anything even if he wanted to.

She nodded decisively at him.

"Hey! Hey, hey," Dean called after Sam through the opened car window. "We'll stay here. You go make your move," he yelled in a whisper tone at his little brother.

Sam scoffed at him before turning back to Sarah, but Dean didn't give up that easy, adding, "Sam. I'm serious!"

Dean then proceeded to turn on the radio with a cheesy indie love song just as the couple reached the porch. They spun around to look at Dean in the car. Sam grimaced, and Dean turned the music off again with a sigh, shrugging his shoulders innocently before Sam and Sarah went inside.

"Stop pushing so hard, zookeeper. They're not pandas. You can't _make_ them mate," Hayley chuckled.

"Yeah, I know. I don't get why that kid can't just let loose sometimes," Dean sighed.

"Sam's different. I mean, as soon as he went off to college, he ended up in a long-term relationship," she pointed out. Sam had told her a lot about Jessica, more than he had probably told Dean. She knew Jess was an English major and wanted to be a teacher. She was kind, smart, and funny. And if anyone could ever get Sam out of his shell, it was her. She even knew Sam had planned to propose to her because he was sure she was the one.

"I wouldn't know," Dean admitted. He wasn't embarrassed by the fact that his longest relationship lasted only three weeks and everything else was just a string of one-night-stands and brief weekend affairs.

"Well, I don't think you've really ever tried, Dean," she commented with a smile.

"Maybe. But what's the point? People just leave eventually," he shrugged, and she threw him a look.

"So? Maybe they do, maybe they don't. Point is, you don't know until you try," Hayley stated.

He glanced at her. "What about you?"

"What about me?" She cocked at an eyebrow.

"Whatever happened to surfer boy? You're gonna try with him?" Dean chuckled.

"Ha, no! Turns out he's a full-on flat-earther," she laughed. "So it ended at third base for him."

"You still let the guy go until _third_?"

She shrugged, speechless. "He was good at human anatomy. I don't know what to tell you, man," she giggled, trying to defend her actions, and he laughed. "And it's not like one of your ladies is gonna win the Nobel anytime soon."

"Hey, they don't have to," Dean grinned cheekily. "And I dated smart women before. I'm sure you've been around for Cassie," he countered.

"Oh yeah, I liked her. She had sass and spunk and was smart. I honestly don't know what you're doing with your life. She was great," Hayley added.

"Yeah, she was," Dean chuckled, agreeing. "But you've mentioned an ex-boyfriend before. Bartender, right?"

"Yeah, Mike," she nodded. "We dated in college for almost two years."

"Why did you guys break up?" Dean could feel himself doing it again – being too curious for his own good.

"Nothing major, really. I only ever went to college to get my degrees and see if I can find out more about my mom's murder. So when I was done, I moved back to Central City, and his family lived in Boston, so..."

"So you just broke up with him? Poor guy," Dean sighed sympathetically. "But what's he doing bartending in Central City then?"

"Well, six months later, he moved there. And I guess we would've gotten back together...," she trailed off.

"But?"

"I got struck by lightning, was in a coma for nine months, and got superpowers," Hayley stated nonchalantly, and he nodded understandingly.

"Right. But he still stayed? Even when you were basically hopelessly dying?"

"Yes."

"For you?"

"Probably? What's your point, Winchester?" She narrowed her ocean eyes at him suspiciously.

"Huh. Look at you, Speedy. Leaving a trail of broken hearts behind you," Dean noted with a smirk. "Makes sense too. I mean, your dad's in prison. Most girls would end up on the pole."

She slapped his arm playfully when he laughed while her jaw dropped to the floor. "Dean!"

Their bantering stopped suddenly when the front door of Evelyn's house slammed shut with one loud bang. Hayley raced out of the Impala before Dean could even glance back at her. He jumped out of the car and caught up with Hayley by the closed door. She was trying hard to get it open again before he pushed her out of the way and tried to break it open himself, but also turned up unlucky.

" _Dean! Hayley! Is that you?_ " They heard Sam shout on the other side of the door.

"Sammy, you all right?" Dean asked, concerned before he received a phone call from the youngest Winchester. "Tell me you slammed the front door," he answered his phone while he put Sam on speaker.

" _Nope, it wasn't me. I think it was the little girl_ ," Sam stated.

"Girl? What girl?" Dean questioned with a furrowed brow as Hayley suddenly sighed next to him.

" _Ooooh_ , that's why Isaiah was looking down at her earlier!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands high up in the air before she grabbed her head as if mindblown.

" _Yeah, she's out of the painting. I think it might've been her all along_ ," Sam agreed.

"Maybe he was trying to warn us," Dean joined in on their theory.

" _Hey, hey, hey, let's recap later, all right? Just get us out of here_ ," Sam urged them.

"Well, I'm trying to pick the lock. The door won't budge," Dean said, frustrated as he fumbled with the picks in his hands.

" _Well, knock it down_ ," Sam ordered him.

"Okay, genius, let me just grab my battering ram," Dean scoffed.

"Get out of the way," Hayley said and pushed Dean gently to the side. Then she disappeared, and soon, a bolt of lightning struck the door.

Dean watched as she was thrown backward several feet and landed on her back on the hard concrete. But the door was still closed as he ran over to her and helped her to her feet.

"I think I broke something," she muttered, grimacing in pain.

He raised his brows at her, mumbling, "Yeah, you bet you broke something, just not the door, Speedy."

" _Dean, the damn thing is coming_ ," Sam yelled through the phone.

"Well, you're just gonna have to hold it off until we figure something out. Get some salt or iron," he ordered his little brother.

Dean and Hayley listened intently to the noises coming from the speakers and the house inside itself. "Sammy, you okay?" Dean checked in after he heard a louder crash.

" _Yeah, for now_ ," Sam replied, and his older brother sighed, relieved he was still alive.

"How we gonna waste her?" Dean wrinkled his forehead in frustration.

" _I don't know. She was already cremated. There's nothing left to burn_ ," Sam pointed out.

"Then how's she still around?"

" _There must be something else_ ," Sam mused.

" _Sam, wait. We used to handle antique dolls at the auction_ ," they heard Sarah chime in. " _Back then, they used to make the dolls in the kids' image. I mean everything; they would use the kid's real hair_ ," she explained.

" _Guys, Sarah said the doll might have the kid's real hair. Human remains, same as bones_ ," Sam repeated to them.

Hayley and Dean shared a wide-eyed look before they both exclaimed the same thought, "The mausoleum!"

Dean let the Impala come to a screeching halt directly in front of the Merchant crypt, breaking for sure several laws. However, he didn't care that he had just raced across a graveyard and drove straight through closed gates.

Hayley head-started into the mausoleum, banging frantically against the glass box before she paced the little crypt, trying to think of something to open it with when Dean came running in. She quickly grabbed his gun from behind his back without thinking twice and shot right through the glass of the container, shattering it around them. She snatched the doll and threw it to Dean, who caught it expectantly.

Dean quickly pulled a lighter from his jacket pocket and flicked it open as he held the flame under the doll's hair. It slowly started to burn before he dropped the ignited doll to the ground.

"Nice shot, by the way." He glanced at Hayley with a grin.

"Thank you," she replied happily as she returned the weapon to its rightful owner.

* * *

Sam and Sarah had survived the little girl's attack, even though it was a pretty close call briefly. Luckily, Dean and Hayley had managed to save the two just in time. But now Sam felt even more bonded to Sarah, and their case was over – he would leave again with no promise of return.

Dean, Hayley, and Sam got a few decent hours of sleep before they returned to the auction house to say their goodbyes to Sarah. On the ride there, Sam's companions had reiterated profusely how he had to make his move, but he decided to ignore them.

They found Sarah in the middle of the room, observing two men as they packed up the freaky Merchant family portrait and carried it outside.

"Uh, this was archived in the county records," Hayley stated as she handed Sarah some papers.

"The Merchant's adopted daughter, Melanie. Know why she was up for adoption? 'Cause her real family was murdered in their beds," Dean added.

"She killed them?" Sarah raised one of her brows in disbelief.

"Yeah. Who'd suspect her? Sweet little girl," Dean chuckled bitterly. "So, then she kills Isaiah and his family. The old man takes the blame. His spirit's been trying to warn people ever since."

"So why'd the girl do it?" Sarah asked.

"Killing others? Killing herself? Some people are just born tortured. So when they die, their spirits are just as dark," Sam explained.

"Maybe. I don't really care. It's over; we move on," Dean said with a shrug, and Hayley giggled. Sometimes life really was that simple.

"Uh, I guess this means you're leaving," Sarah mused with a sad look at Sam.

Sam turned around and witnessed a widely grinning Dean and Hayley, waiting expectantly for him to make a move as they wiggled their eyebrows.

"We'll go wait in the car," Hayley said and kicked Dean lightly. "See you, Sarah."

She hooked her arm through Dean's, trying to guide him to the door. But the older Winchester didn't budge an inch, waiting there awkwardly for a second before he finally conceded and followed Hayley's lead.

"I'm the one that burned the doll and destroyed the spirit, but don't thank me or anything," he grumbled, and Hayley chuckled and patted his arm sympathetically.

"Yes, you're the hero, Dean," she asserted him, and he smiled, satisfied at least one person recognized his heroism.

The two waited patiently outside for Sam, leaning against the hood of the Impala as they enjoyed some sun. When Sam finally emerged from the auction house, they watched the couple curiously. However, Sarah closed the door without giving the youngest Winchester a goodbye kiss, and Dean turned around disappointed.

But he suddenly felt Hayley's hand on his bicep, pulling him back around before he had reached the metal door handle and glanced back up to the entrance of the building. It opened again, revealing a smiling Sarah, and Sam took a step closer to her and ultimately went in for the kiss.

"That's my boy," Dean grinned proudly, and Hayley shook her head at him with a laugh before her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket.

"Joe?" She answered it, and Dean's green eyes darted to her, burning with curiosity. "Yeah, I'll be right there," she said as she hung up again.

"Something's up?" Dean asked while Sam approached the two with the broadest smile they had seen on him in a long time.

"Yeah, Joe thinks there's likely a meta-human on the loose. He wants me to check it out," she replied.

"Okay, let's go," Dean announced as he opened the driver's door.

"Dean, I'm way faster on foot than by car," she stated patiently with a small smile.

He sighed but knew she was right. "Fine, but we'll meet you there." He gave her a stern look that told her there was no way from keeping the brothers out of this, and she nodded.

"Okay, I'll meet you guys at S.T.A.R. Labs in a few hours," she said but didn't even wait for their response before she vanished.

The boys shared a look before Dean gestured to the Impala. "Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know if you enjoyed this chapter in the comments. Feedback is golden! ✨
> 
> And sorry it took a little longer with the update this week. Work was busy, and I also preoccupied myself with some smutty one shot. If you wanna read something spoilery for this series, you can read the semi-short smut story "(Nice Dream)" I did for Dean & Hayley. 
> 
> Enjoy & see you next week when we return to CC! ⚡️😈


	6. Things You Can't Outrun

_**Flashback, 13 years ago** _

"Increased pressure produces increased heat, and if you don't release it, you get combustion," Hayley explained as she rearranged the black-framed glasses that bounced on her nose and looked a little too big for an eleven-year-old.

Iris glanced at her with big brown eyes while licking an ice cream – mint chocolate chip as usual. "I don't know how you remember all this stuff, Hayley," she mused as her ponytail bobbed up and down while the two girls walked home together from school. Sometimes they got picked up by either Iris' dad or Hayley's mom, but they preferred to walk home without adult supervision. It meant they could go to the candy store after school and secretly fuel up on sweets before coming home.

Hayley's baby-blue eyes darted over to a bunch of boys beating up a smaller, chubbier kid. She recognized the boys from school and felt sorry for the smaller one. It didn't seem fair – four against one. But she knew bullying was hardly ever about fair.

"Hayley, don't," Iris called after Hayley as she confidently strolled over to the group of boys. Iris rolled her eyes at her best friend and hurried after her.

"Hey, Tony, why don't you pick someone your own size?" She forcefully challenged the tallest of them. Her eyes widened when Tony turned around to face her, towering over her like a freaking skyscraper. Admittedly, it wasn't the best idea she had. She should have called a parent or a teacher – some type of adult that would handle this and not someone who almost just peed into their own jeans overalls.

"Why don't you mind your own business, Allen?" He snorted before turning his attention back to his initial victim.

She swallowed hard, gathering all the courage she had, "No. Leave him alone, Tony."

He spun around with a laugh, crossing his arms as he puffed out his chest, "Or what, loser?"

Hayley hesitated before she spotted Iris' ice cream in the corner of her eye and an imaginery lightbulb appeared above her braided pigtails. She just grabbed it as her only logical solution and threw it at Tony, only she miserably failed at hitting the desired target. The ice cream landed with a sad plop in front of his feet.

However, it was enough for Tony's eyes to widen in a fury, and his face turned a dark shade of red. The other boys dissolved into laughter at her misfired attack, but she could tell Tony wouldn't be as forgiving.

"Run, Hayley, run!" Iris shouted at her.

Hayley started to move her feet, and Tony immediately sprinted after her. But there was no way she was fast enough, her little legs only carrying her so far, and he eventually caught up with her and knocked her to the ground with one hard punch.

"Looks like you were born to take a beating, Allen," Tony remarked before he joined the other boys again.

When she came home from school that afternoon with a bleeding chin and kneecap, her mom promptly sat her down on the big living room lounge chair. She was quick to tend to her daughter's wounds and placed a pink band-aid on Hayley's knee and a kiss on her chin.

"Tell me what happened," her mother demanded in a soft voice and stared into her daughter's guilty-looking eyes.

"Those guys were picking on a kid just 'cause they thought they weren't cool. It wasn't right," Hayley explained. She felt helpless, and all she wanted to do was to help.

"I know," her mother replied calmly, stroking her cheek.

"I guess I wasn't fast enough," she pouted sadly, looking down at her dangling legs. She wasn't a tall kid, which meant shorter legs and smaller steps.

"No. You have such a good heart, Hayley. And it's better to have a good heart than fast legs," her mother reminded her with a smile and kissed her forehead.

"Hello. I'm home," her father chipperly announced from the foyer as he walked into the house, setting aside his coat and hat.

Her father always came home at the same time in the late afternoon, leaving his practice just in time to have dinner with his family. He walked over to his wife and gave her a gentle kiss. Hayley wrinkled her nose in disgust, even though she admired them greatly. She knew other children weren't as lucky to have two parents that loved each other, and she secretly hoped to find something like that when she was all grown-up.

"Hayley got into a fight," Hannah informed her husband with a glance at their daughter and a small smile on her lips.

"Oh, yeah?" Henry raised an eyebrow, mimicking his wife's expressions in a joking manner.

"And she won," Hannah added with a wink at Hayley, who giggled in return.

"Ah, way to go, honey bee," Henry replied with a chuckle before tousling his daughter's hair. His wife threw him a playful look, reminding him they were still parents. "Oh, and uh, no more fighting," he added quickly and placed kisses on both his girls' foreheads.

* * *

**Central City, Missouri**

Joe sat at his desk at CCPD as he usually did. The only difference was, he normally wasn't surrounded by boxes full of evidence. His desk had piled up files of cases he had to work on, but his eyes and mind were glued to the laptop screen in front of him, and his ears only focused on the voices echoing through his headphones.

" _The lightning was in the house. I told my daughter to run. She disappeared, and that's when I saw the blood_ ," Henry Allen explained on Joe's screen.

Henry was sitting in the police's interrogation room, and his hands were cuffed. It was the night the cops had arrested him for his wife's murder.

" _Your prints were on the murder weapon_ ," the interviewing detective pointed out.

" _I needed to stabilize the knife. I'm a doctor. I was trying to save her_ ," Henry pleaded as his eyes filled with tears at the memory." _I didn't kill my wife._ Joe _, tell them. You know me. Our kids are friends. You tell them, Joe._ "

As he uttered those words, he didn't look at the detective in front of him but stared directly at the camera, knowing somewhere Joe was listening. After all, they had been friends before. At least good acquaintances through their daughters' friendship. Joe had to know Henry wasn't the person to do such a horrible thing.

All these years, Joe had never once questioned the evidence surrounding his adoptive daughter's case. He never had doubted Henry's guilt in thirteen whole years. But ever since the particle accelerator explosion, things had changed. His daughter had changed. His mindset had changed.

He closed the laptop abruptly when he saw said daughter approach his desk with a big smile. He sighed in relief when he recognized her as still in one piece. He was a cop and a father, so his natural instinct was always to worry. And God knows, he had already worried enough in a world before meta-humans and the supernatural. Nowadays, he was surprised he could even still sleep.

"Hey, what you're looking at? Is that our case? The new mystery meta-human?" She asked curiously, quickly scooting behind him to get a look.

"Uh, no. Different case," he changed the subject and pulled out some other files instead. "Take a look at that."

She took the papers and glanced at a photo of a thick metal bar that had bent into a u-shape. "You think a meta-human did this?"

"No human I know could've done _that_. Perp robbed a pawnshop, stealing some gold chains. It only took him five minutes, so there's no way he could've done that to the metal door with a machine," Joe explained.

"Any security footage? Or evidence?"

"Nope. None so far. Plus, our best CSI wasn't in town to do her job," Joe deadpanned.

Hayley shook her head at him and grinned, "Well, she's here now to save the day."

Joe rolled his eyes at his daughter before he waved her off, "Just get outta here! I'll call you when he shows up again."

* * *

Iris wore a black dress with a beige blazer, and her soft black curls flowed mesmerizingly over her shoulders. She felt Eddie's arm sling around her waist, and he gently kissed her dark red lips. She smiled at him as his blue eyes only focused on her.

"You guys are making me puke," Hayley complained as she strolled past them into the _Blue River Bar_. She grimaced at her sister, who stuck her tongue out with a grin. Hayley sensed this would happen when Iris suggested a fun catch-up night with Eddie. She knew she'd be third-wheeling it for the rest of the night and was bummed the Winchesters weren't here yet. But Dean had insisted on his 19-hour drive.

"Hey, look who's back!" Mike raised his arms excitedly behind the bar.

Hayley smiled at him and sat down on the little bar stool at the end of the counter, knocking her knuckles twice on the wooden surface. Mike immediately understood the queue, placing a cocktail glass in front of her with a pink-orange-y liquid and a little umbrella stuck in it.

She suspiciously raised an eyebrow at him. "What the fuck is that?"

"What does it look like? It's a drink. Just taste it," Mike encouraged with a smile.

"No," she squirmed in her seat, and he frowned at her.

"What, c'mon! I learned how to make a few more drinks while you were away. The ladies seem to like 'em," he gestured cheekily over to a group of girls on the dance floor as they slurped obsessively on those drinks. He waved at them charmingly, and the group fell into a giggly outbreak.

Hayley shook her head at him with a smile. Mike was handsome in a classical way and could have any girl. He was broad-shouldered, a cheeky smile always ready at a moment's notice, and the typical smug frat-boy face. She would've never gone for a guy like him or any man remotely associated with a Greek college organization. But somehow, the dork had managed to win her heart.

While as a child, Hayley had looked up to her parents – after her mother's passing, that quickly changed. For all she knew, love was dead, and life sucked ass. Love took a backseat in her life, only riding with her head in the driver's seat until Mike came along and turned it around. She suddenly believed in true love, soulmates, and all the other crap poets always wrote about. She finally gave a shit about these things.

And then she got scared and ran away, thinking she had a reason because she always did. But Mike didn't give up so easily, no matter how hard and far she pushed him away. He followed her home and stayed – through months of feigned friendship, a coma, superpowers, secret missions, and endless road trips. He was still here.

And now they both were still here – right at the same spot they'd always been.

"Well, good for you and your career as a bartender," she joked. "Now gimme the real booze. No funny business."

He rolled his blue eyes before he placed a glass of whiskey in front of her, muttering, "You know this is a waste of good booze on you."

"Ooooh, is that one of those new cocktails? I love those!" Iris exclaimed enthusiastically as she hopped over to the two of them, hand in hand with Eddie. She snatched the fruity drink, which Hayley had refused, and started to practically inhale it through the little pink straw.

"See? Thank you, Iris. At least, someone here appreciates all my hard work," Mike remarked playfully with a glance at Hayley.

She narrowed her eyes at him before she chortled. The one thing that had always bothered her about Mike was his laziness. And not the sitting-on-the-couch-all-day kind of lazy, but he definitely had a talent of wasting his potential. He had always been smart; however, his parents had forced him into a life he never wanted, and when he eventually rebelled, he did so without a plan. Hayley didn't mind that he was a bartender but knew he could easily manage his own bar. She cared that he didn't seem to pursue anything meaningful at all – except for her, maybe.

"Uh, honey, you know what happened the last time you drank one of these," Eddie reminded Iris with a careful look. He knew arguing with a member of the West family could potentially be dangerous.

"Mhm, don't remind me," Iris grimaced as she put the drink back on the table. "Hey, you wanna play some darts with us? Eddie wants to teach me how to throw," she winked at Hayley.

"Nah, you two go ahead. Otherwise, I would only be throwing up all over you two," Hayley giggled, and Iris playfully slapped her sister's arm.

"Fine. We'll catch up after? Eddie has another shift later." Iris rolled her eyes back in annoyance. It sure wasn't easy dating a cop, but she had already known that from her father.

"Yeah, sure. Go have fun, sis," Hayley smiled and watched as her sister cheerfully strolled over to the darts across the room, arm in arm with Eddie. She was glad Iris had found someone, especially with her being on the road now all the time. She never wanted her sister to be alone again like Iris had been during Hayley's coma.

"So, you're back for good?"

She peeled her eyes away from the happy couple and glanced back up at Mike. "No, just back for another meta-human."

"Oh, so you're going back in a few days?" His voice sounded a little disappointed, but she tried her best to ignore it.

"Yeah, I guess," she shrugged. Although she still had feelings for him, she didn't want him to wait for her. He was an ordinary civilian, and she was the Flash now. After her accident, her priorities had changed as well, not just her life. All she could think about day and night was her father in prison and her mom's killer; there wasn't room for much else. It wasn't fair to Mike, and more importantly, she would curse herself for an eternity if he ever got hurt because of her.

"So, where are your two side-kicks then?" Mike asked.

"Oh, they're coming. They're just a lot slower," she grinned, and he chuckled. "And technically, I'm _their_ side-kick."

"Yeah, _sure,_ " he chortled.

"What?" She furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Uh, it's just that I've known you for a _very_ long time, and you have a hard time _not_ being the one in control," he pointed out with a slight smirk.

"Oh, is that so?" She glared at him but only being halfway serious about it.

"Yeah," he asserted, crossing his arms stubbornly, and the smirk on his face still hadn't faded.

She was ready for a snappy comeback but was abruptly interrupted by her phone. And with hers, all the phones in the _Blue River_ started to ring. She and Eddie shared a quick, all-knowing glance.

"This conversation is _not_ over," she pointed her index finger at Mike before she grabbed her things and put her scarlet leather jacket back on.

"Didn't expect it was," he replied with a grin as he watched her storm out of the bar with several other cops.

Iris sat down at the stool where Hayley had sat before and grabbed her fruity drink again with a deep sigh. She slurped on it with a pouty face before Mike kindly placed a second one in front of her.

* * *

Joe texted Hayley the details while she sped to S.T.A.R. Labs to jump into her suit, ready for a fight. The suspected meta-human had stolen a yellow Humvee, so whoever this guy was, he clearly had written douchebag all over his face.

She knew she was close to the scene of the crime when she heard several gunshots were fired. A crowd of panicked people came running in her direction, and she was just in time when she observed the yellow Humvee race down the street at full-throttle. A little boy stood in the middle of the emptied road, his eyes wide as the vehicle sped towards him without any intention to hit the brakes. Luckily, Hayley raced the kid off the street and placed him on the sidewalk before the car could ever touch him.

The Humvee then broke through the police barrier almost effortlessly. She trailed the car and sped past Joe and Eddie, who had quickly jumped to the side of the road for safety. Hayley caught hold of the monstrous vehicle and ripped off the rearview mirror to get the driver's attention. He quickly took a turn into a dark alley before coming to a halt, and Hayley took a deep breath as she confidently positioned herself in front of the car.

"Step out of the vehicle!" She ordered the young guy. He looked somehow familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before. He was big, bulky, and his face already majorly screamed douchebag at her. Maybe it was still the yellow Humvee, but he definitely wasn't her type.

"If you say so," he said with a wicked smile as he stepped out. He grabbed hold of the car's door and ripped it off like it was a piece of paper.

"Uh-oh," Hayley realized before the guy spun the door like an Olympic hammer-thrower and flung it at her. She managed to duck, and the door smashed into the metal fence behind her.

He smirked at her when he witnessed her powers and slowly moved closer to her. She took her chance and punched him in the jaw, but his skin suddenly transformed into silver-gray metal, and her fingers cracked at the impact. She gasped in pain, clasping her hand and trying to shake it off. She hadn't imagined hitting someone could hurt _this_ much. Dean could've mentioned the fact.

The guy didn't even try to make a fast move like a predatory lion approaching his powerless prey. He looked at her like a giant, amused at the prospect of squashing an insect. His arm changed to metal again, and he took a swing at her, successfully flinging her across the Humvee's hood as his steel fist hit her chin. She crashed down on the other side of the car and started to feel like a human punching bag. Every bone in her body felt shattered to pieces.

As she tried to get herself up again, he hunched down to her with a cold-hearted glare. "Looks like you were born to take a beating," he remarked before he struck another punch.

However, this time she was fast enough to flee, and his hand only smashed into the hard concrete as he watched a lightning streak disappear into the distance.

* * *

"You know, for a high-tech lab, you'd think they'd lock their doors at least," Dean stated, furrowing his brow as he strolled with Sam through the white corridors of S.T.A.R. Labs at midnight, looking for their speedster friend. Dean had pretty much floored the gas pedal of Baby on their way here, saving him a few hours just to spite Hayley.

"Yeah, tell me about," Sam chuckled. "I guess people are just a lot more trusting in Central City."

Dean rolled his eyes at that before the brothers stopped at the end of a corridor and looked into another white room. They had encountered a few of those while looking around until they found the elevator and did the same on the next floor. This place was huge.

This room had a long white desk with several computers set up on top of it. But that wasn't the only tech in the large space – in fact, it was filled with devices they had never seen before, TV screens, monitors, and tons of other gadgets. There was also a small backroom that revealed a little bed and some medical supplies.

A short guy with shoulder-length black hair and a redheaded woman in a white lab coat were standing in front of a big screen, having a heated discussion.

 _Cisco and Caitlin,_ the brothers realized from their first encounter at the bar two months ago.

"Check the math. Your dispersal models don't correlate," Caitlin argued and gestured at some numbers on the screen.

"Uh, they do if you factor in the seasonal fluctuations in reproduction cycles," Cisco retorted.

"What exactly are we debating?" A man in a wheelchair rolled into the room from another entrance. He was a thin man with glasses in his forties.

The brothers hadn't met him before, but they had heard of him – Dr. Harrison Wells, scientist, and owner of S.T.A.R. Labs, as well as responsible for the particle accelerator explosion on December 11, 2005. Now more than a year later, he was helping Hayley fight metas with Cisco and Caitlin.

"The average number of bugs Hayley swallows in a day of running," Cisco explained casually.

The brothers shared a baffled glance. They had never thought about Hayley swallowing bugs before, but now it made sense when Dean thought of Baby's windshield after a drive on the highway.

"I look forward to seeing you accept your Nobel," Wells laughed heartily. "But for now, we have visitors."

With that, Wells turned around and smiled kindly at the brothers. But Dean couldn't shake the feeling that something seemed off about this guy.

"Whoa, freakin' bejesus! How long have you guys been standing there?" Cisco noticed them in shock, almost spitting out his slushy.

"Yeah, you guys really need to lock the door," Dean pointed out with a smirk.

"Cisco! You left the door open again?" Caitlin's hazel eyes darted angrily to him.

"Why do you think it's me? It could've been Hayley," Cisco argued, but Caitlin's stern look told him she didn't buy it.

"Gentlemen, why don't you tell us what you're doing here?" Dr. Wells asked them.

"Uh, hi, I'm Sam Winchester. This is my brother Dean," Sam introduced them, and Caitlin smiled warmly at the brothers.

"Yeah, we know. You guys are the ghostbusters!" Cisco exclaimed, thrilled to finally meet them officially.

"Yeah, I guess we are," Dean chuckled, a little flustered. He kind of liked the little guy, who at least wore long hair better than Sammy.

"Nice to finally meet you. Dr. Allen has certainly told us a lot about you. Any friends of Hayley's are, of course, friends of ours," Dr. Wells welcomed them with a smile.

"Great. Where is she?" Dean asked grumpily, and Sam threw him a look, shaking his head at the oldest Winchester's rudeness.

"Sorry, I'm late, guys," a familiar voice sounded behind the boys.

They spun around in an instant, their eyes darting to Hayley as she leaned against the doorframe. She was wearing her suit and breathing heavily. Her lip and chin were bleeding, and her right eye was bruised. Her lips formed the weakest smile possible before her blue eyes turned white, and her body sunk motionless to the floor.

"Oh my God, Hayley!" Caitlin cried out in a panic and ran over to the lifeless body. She was Hayley's personal physician and the best one at that. She had sworn she would never let anything happen to Hayley when they started this enterprise of saving people, and she had stitched the scarlet speedster together more times than she could count by now.

"Hayles, are you okay?"

* * *

Hayley's eyes opened slowly, and she flinched as a bright light blinded her. She felt like the time she had woken up from her coma, coming back to life from a deep slumber. She heard several voices in the background before making out a few dark silhouettes hovering above her.

"Hayley, can you hear me? Are you awake?"

She blinked a few times before she recognized Dean glancing down on her with a worried look in his green eyes. She looked around the room and realized Sam, Cisco, Caitlin, and Dr. Wells had gathered around her bed as well. Was she dying? Why was she even in a bed?

 _Oh_ , _that_ , she thought as she remembered the night before.

"Mmm, that feels like a bad hangover," she mumbled as she sat up slowly. The worried faces around her changed into a mix of frowns and sighs of relief.

"What the hell happened?" Dean fumed. But then again, his anger was nothing new when it concerned her.

"I hit something," she groaned, still very much aware of all the pain in her body.

"You have 13 fractures. That's a new record, and that's just in your hand. You also have a concussion, three cracked ribs, and a bruised spleen. Even with your powers, you'll need a few hours to heal," Caitlin scolded her.

"What exactly did you hit?" Dr. Wells asked.

"A man. A big, bad man," she replied, still gathering her memories. However, she knew that answer wouldn't satisfy anyone. "His skin changed when I hit him. Like, it turned to metal."

"Interesting. A man of steel," Dr. Wells mused.

Dean shot him a quick glare. How could anything be interesting that hurt her so badly? Did these people not care about her?

"So you went after a meta-human alone?" Dean raised one of his brows and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Dude, why didn't you call us?" Cisco agreed, and Dean appreciated the support.

"I didn't know what he was, okay? It was just a suspicion, and I had to do something," she argued defensively.

"You're lucky he didn't knock out your teeth. Those puppies don't grow back," Cisco warned with a chuckle.

"The strange thing is I feel like I knew him," Hayley contemplated, and the whole group stared at her.

"What do you mean?" Sam questioned with a wrinkled brow.

"He said something familiar," Hayley mumbled, trying to remember despite her concussion. "But he's gonna hurt someone if we don't stop him. So how do I fight a guy that's made of steel?" Her eyes wandered to Dr. Wells like a reflex. He usually provided them with the solution they needed; that _she_ needed.

"We will find a way. Tonight, you heal," Caitlin declared with a warm smile, and Hayley loved that smile – it always soothed her.

* * *

Hayley still felt like crap the next morning when she stumbled back into CCPD. Joe was at his desk, as usual, headphones in, and his eyes stuck to the screen. He closed his laptop in a hurry when she approached.

"Hey. What happened to you last night?" He asked with worry in his eyes.

"Got beat up by a steel-plated sociopath. Good times," she replied jokingly. She suddenly watched Joe's eyes widen and spun around before her smile turned into a frown – the brothers stood behind her, playing dress-up again.

"Hell, no. You two yahoos get outta here!" Joe ordered them, irritated.

The boys shot him a puzzled look before Dean smirked, "Detective West! Nice to see you again."

"What are you two doing here?" Hayley whispered as she pulled the brothers away by their arms from the prying ears of nearby cops.

"What do you mean? We wanna help with this meta-human thing. You clearly need it," Dean retorted, and Hayley glared at him.

"I don't need your help," she hissed through gritted teeth.

"Well, I said the same thing to you, and you ignored me, so...," Dean shrugged cheekily.

Hayley's jaw dropped to the floor – beating her with her own weapons, how could he?

"So he _is_ a meta-human? The guy from last night?" Joe asked, and Hayley turned her attention back to him. She nodded. "That particle accelerator's the gift that keeps on giving," he sighed deeply. "You okay?"

"Relatively," she replied with a bitter shrug. Her body had healed, but her mind was an entirely different thing.

"Any idea who he is?" Sam asked, feeling a little awkward amongst the crowd of cops. He shouldn't have listened to Dean and sincerely hoped they could leave the station soon.

"He stole the Humvee and evaded capture. Perp yanked three ATMs after he boosted the vehicle. ATM security cameras caught him on video. We got a hit in the database," Joe replied as he put the files on his desk for them to look at. "Tony Woodward. He's got a history of violence, petty theft, assault, going way back to juvie. Dropped off the radar seventeen months ago. Looks like he's back."

"I know him. He went to middle school with me and Iris," Hayley stated. And he wasn't just any kid – he had made her life miserable several times. In fact, he had been one of the reasons she had graduated early from high school, to begin with.

"Joe, we found the stolen Humvee in the alley at Fremont and Lawrence," Eddie informed Joe as he hurried over to the group. "And Allen, we need you down there to do your thing. Agents, glad you're back. We could really use your help with this meta-human," he added with a warm smile at the brothers.

Dean grinned victoriously at Hayley over Eddie's invitation to join the case, and she rolled her eyes with a sigh.

* * *

When the group arrived at the crime scene, their eyes immediately caught sight of the bright yellow Humvee parked at the side of the road, where Tony seemingly had abandoned it last night after his joyride.

"God, what a douchebag," Dean grumbled as he saw the monstrosity of a car. It was an insult to even call this awful thing a car.

"Yeah," four other voices agreed behind him.

"What we got?" Dean asked like a professional, roleplaying his best FBI agent as he turned to Eddie.

"The rig Tony Woodward boosted last night. No sign of the stolen ATMs. Probably got those where he's holed up, though he's gonna have one hell of a time breaking 'em open," Eddie chuckled as he walked over to the vehicle.

The door of the eyesore had been ripped out, the trunk was open, and in it lay a few kegs of _Rusty Iron Ale_.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Hayley mumbled as she pulled out some tools from her forensic suitcase, thinking of the man's strength she had experienced last night herself.

"So what do you think?" Eddie asked as he watched her closely while she observed the crime scene in her usual manner.

Of all the cops in the precinct, she liked working with Eddie the most. He always treated her nicely – probably because he was dating her sister, but she didn't care about his exact reasoning.

"Judging by the mud and kegs, I'd say he got hammered, stole a big-ass truck, and went joyriding. I bet the kegs are stolen, too," she mused and got up from the ground again.

" _Rusty Iron Ale_ ," Dean read from one of the barrels.

"It's a micro, brewed right over in-," she started, but Eddie interrupted her.

"Keystone. I know the place. Let's check it out," he suggested enthusiastically.

Hayley and the brothers shared a brief, awkward glance. While Eddie knew about meta-humans, he didn't know about her being the Flash, and working this case with Eddie would definitely be a challenge.

"Okay, sure," she agreed nonetheless.

"Yeah, you three go ahead. I need a minute here with Agent Hetfield," Joe said and threw Dean a look.

Hayley glanced at them suspiciously but let it slide for now. She noticed Joe had been up to something the past few days, maybe even months, and she was determined to find out what he was up to once Tony was in jail. For now, she had more urgent things than Joe to worry about.

"I'll catch up with you guys later," Dean said, only a little baffled at the sudden invitation.

Sam threw him a look, but Dean just shrugged at his little brother before he followed Detective West.

* * *

Dean took a wondrous look around as he entered the foyer of the little sage-green house. Joe walked over to the dining room table and dropped an old box on it while Dean was still mesmerized by Hayley's childhood home. Granted, it wasn't her real one, but the pictures on the walls and side tables could've told a different story. They showed a happy girl laughing with her sister and father at an aquarium, a fifteen-year-old with braces at what was presumably her graduation, and her in a white lab coat on what seemed like her first day at work. As he looked around, he found tons of pictures scattered around the house of Iris and Hayley, and he wondered what his home would've looked like if his parents had been around and were normal. Would there be pictures of Sam and him hanging around their house, displaying little proud moments of their lives?

Joe cleared his throat with a stern look, ripping Dean from his thoughts.

He quickly joined Joe in the dining area and noticed the dusty old box on the table. "Uh, you need my help with a case? Is it monster-related?"

"Not quite. I recently reopened one of my old cases, and I need someone who I can trust to help me with this thing," Joe said as he sat down at the table and gestured for Dean to take a seat as well.

Dean swallowed a little, chuckling nervously, "And you trust me of all people?"

That earned him a stern look from Joe. "Well, you managed to keep my daughter alive until now," he deadpanned.

"And believe me, that ain't easy," Dean half-joked, and Joe laughed wholeheartedly for the first time.

"Yeah, good luck with that. Those girls can be hella stubborn, believe me," he chuckled at the thought of his two daughters.

"I've noticed," Dean agreed.

"Look, son, I've always had a very simple set of beliefs. Gravity makes things fall. Water makes things wet. And up until last year, I thought the fastest person could run a mile in four minutes. Not four seconds," Joe stated, and Dean nodded understandingly. It sure was a lot to take in. "I need someone who understands that there are things out there that can't be explained."

"What's the case?" Dean asked and shifted into hunter mode.

"The murder of Hayley's mother," Joe replied with a serious face.

Dean's eyes shot at him, surprised. "You have something? She didn't tell me about it."

"That's because she doesn't know I'm lookin' into it...and she's not gonna find out," Joe replied and looked at him firmly as Dean peeked inside the box.

"You want me to lie to her about this? Why?" The thought of lying to her somehow made his stomach turn.

"Look, I know my daughter, and she seems strong, but she struggled with this all her life," Joe responded.

"You don't want her to get her hopes up," Dean finished his thought. He had worried about the same thing when she had asked him for help. He didn't even know if he could. But at least he could prepare her for anything that _might_ come.

"She just started to be okay with it," Joe explained with a sigh as he remembered all the times he went looking for her when Hayley ran away from this house, trying to see her real father. "And there's something else – I think Wells is involved."

Dean furrowed his brow, "The guy in the wheelchair at S.T.A.R. Labs? You think he killed Hayley's mom somehow?"

Joe nodded, "I already talked to him. I don't know if he killed Hannah Allen. His alibi checks out, but I can't shake the feeling he's hiding something."

"Yeah, I got the same one," Dean agreed. He had known something was fishy about the guy the moment he had literally rolled in. "But how do you know he's involved in the murder?"

"I had my suspicions about Wells and after I talked to him, asked him a few questions – red lightning came to the house. It tried to take all the evidence on the case, but I had kept copies. It stuck a photo to the wall of Iris, threatened to kill her if I don't stop looking." Joe's eyes looked pained at the memory. It had happened a few weeks ago while none of his daughters had luckily been here. The scene in front of him had looked exactly like what Hayley had always described as a child. And all these years, he had just brushed her off. Joe felt incredibly guilty for not believing his daughter sooner and was determined to right some wrongs. He wouldn't give up so easily. He owed it to both Hayley and Henry to solve this case.

"But if that's true, shouldn't we warn Hayley? I mean, she could be in danger," Dean argued.

"Wells is like a mentor to her. To _all_ of them," Joe cautioned him. "That's why we can't just get in there empty-handed. Otherwise, she wouldn't believe it."

"Yeah, she believes too much in the good of people," Dean sighed with a shake of his head. "Okay, so what do we do?"

"You're doing nothing. Let me handle the evidence part. I just want you to keep an eye on Hayley and Wells. Tell me if something's going on. And don't let her start snooping," Joe ordered him and got up from his chair. He handed Dean the case files and a USB drive. "Look at it. You've seen more crazy things than me. Maybe you see something I don't."

* * *

Hayley, Sam, and Eddie had located an ex-colleague of Tony's near Keystone Ironworks. Tony had worked there during the explosion. And according to their source, he had fallen into a vat of molten scrap on that same night. Afterward, Sam and Hayley managed to quickly get rid of Eddie before returning to S.T.A.R. Labs to test the gravel Hayley found on Tony's car tires.

Dean was already waiting for them in the cortex, swirling around in a white chair while he played with a metallic boomerang. "You guys have some cool stuff here," he stated, enthralled by all the fancy weapons. He sounded like a kid in a toy store.

"I thought I told you not to touch anything," Cisco reprimanded in a playful manner as he strolled out from the med bay, snatching the boomerang out of Dean's hands again. His smile faded as his new toy was ripped from him.

"I see you made friends," Hayley giggled.

Cisco's and Dean's eyes wandered over to her. Sam stood behind her, grinning at his brother.

"Hey, you're back. Thank God. I was having trouble keeping him away from the arsenal, especially the _cold gun_ ," Cisco said and looked sternly over to Dean, who smirked broadly at him. Hayley shook her head with a chuckle.

"Did you guys find anything?" Dean asked.

"Well, apparently Tony fell into some molten metal on the day of the explosion. It's probably where he got his powers from. We found some gravel in his car," she said and held up the plastic bag. Cisco grabbed it from her hands and disappeared into his own lab to test it.

"Hey, what did Joe want to talk to you about?" Hayley cocked one of her brows suspiciously at Dean.

He looked up at her with a shrug. "Nothing. He just thought he had a case with a monster involved. Sounded more like crazy human to me. So nothing to worry about, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded, even though she knew he had just lied to her. What she didn't know was _why_. She looked at Sam, but he just shook his head at her. He had no idea why his older brother was behaving this oddly.

As Caitlin walked into the cortex, Sam was quick to stop her by tapping her gently on the arm once. She turned around and glanced up at him.

"Hey, uh-," he stammered before he gathered his composure. "Hayley told me you're an expert with this DNA stuff, and I was wondering if you could test me maybe?"

Caitlin could tell he felt a little awkward to ask her, so she smiled at him comfortingly to calm him a little. "Why don't you come with me to the med bay, and you can tell me what you want me to test you for?"

"Uh, sure," Sam smiled.

As he passed Dean, his older brother wiggled his eyebrows at him with a big smirk and gave him a thumbs up. Sam grimaced before he followed Caitlin inside the med bay, away from curious eyes. Dean was seemingly pleased with the interruption. One more look into Hayley's blue eyes and he would've caved and told her everything she wanted to know. He hated lying to her. He hadn't known how much he would hate it when he had agreed to this whole thing just an hour before.

"I'm not exactly sure what you should be testing me for either," Sam confessed as Caitlin gestured him to sit down on the little bed.

"Let's just start with a blood sample and go from there," she suggested. "Do you have any symptoms?"

"Well, I don't know if Hayley told you, but I get these visions. They started out as nightmares, but I got them during the day too. They feel like a bad migraine," Sam explained.

"You think you could be a meta-human?" Caitlin asked.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. Probably not. I guess I just wanna know if I'm normal," Sam admitted, a little embarrassed.

"You seem fine to me," Caitlin mumbled carelessly before she realized her poor wording. "Uh, I mean from a professional standpoint concerning your health," she corrected, flustered as her cheeks blushed to a rosy pink.

Sam chuckled, amused by her sudden nervousness. Caitlin shook off the awkwardness rather quickly, returning to her colder demeanor as she rolled Sam's sleeve up and gently pushed a needle into his skin, drawing some blood.

"There. All done," she smiled warmly, and he nodded thankfully. "Can you control your powers?"

"Uh, no. They just come randomly, I guess. The first one I had, I saw my girlfriend die. I thought it was just a bad dream until it became real," Sam stated, staring guiltily down at his feet.

"I'm sorry, Sam. My fiancé, Ronnie, he died too during the explosion seventeen months ago. We met when we were working on the particle accelerator. He was the structural engineer. He liked to joke that he was basically a very high-priced plumber," she giggled, and Sam joined her.

"He sounds like a great guy," Sam stated softly.

"He was. We were very different, though. You might have noticed I can be a bit…guarded. But Ronnie knew how to make me laugh. He used to say we were like fire and ice. He wasn't supposed to be there that night. He was just there for me," Caitlin confessed with a sad look in her eyes.

Sam was somehow grateful Caitlin decided to share something real with him. She understood him in a way no one had before and the guilt they both carried for losing a loved one. Most people just gave him their condolences and moved on.

"Your blood samples look good to me," Caitlin stated as she glanced back from the microscope to him. "But if you get migraines, I might be able to tell more through brain scans. Maybe next time?" She suggested it almost like a date.

Sam chuckled, "Sure."

"Well, that got kinky fast," Dean surprised the two as he stood in the doorframe with a grin.

"Hayley, check it out," Cisco announced as he strolled back into the cortex, and Sam, Caitlin, and Dean joined them. "The gravel you pulled from Tony's ride? It contains 76.8% hematite. Consistent with the mines at Keystone Ironworks. Which closed down seventeen months ago. It's the perfect hideout." he informed them.

Suddenly, Iris stumbled into the cortex as well, a little out of breath. "Tony just came by Jitters to visit me," she announced, and Hayley spun around and looked at her sister in horror.

"What?! Are you okay?" Hayley asked, upset. Tony could've hurt her sister. She needed to put an end to this.

"Cop's daughter. I can handle myself," Iris retorted confidently, and Hayley sighed.

Dean rolled his eyes at the girls. _Poor Joe_ , he thought. His daughters seemed to have a habit of getting themselves into trouble, never backing down from a fight.

"Not with this guy," Dean chimed in, and Hayley looked at him gratefully. He smiled a little – did she even realize she was doing the same thing to him every single time they worked a case?

"He didn't want to hurt me. He wanted to impress me," Iris stated with a smirk, and Hayley threw her head back with a groan.

"Right! He had a crush on you in school," she remembered.

"Yeah, but he's fixated on you now. And not in a good way," Iris said with a worried glance at her sister.

"Do you know where he went?" Sam asked Iris.

"He said he had a place out in West-Keystone. Bragged about how big it was, but I have no idea where," she replied.

"I do," Hayley said, and Dean frowned at her. She wouldn't dare to go after him now, would she?

"Is he the meta you and Dad have been looking for?" Iris asked, and Hayley nodded.

"Yes, and writing about me is what brought him to you," she reminded her sister, slightly irritated. It wasn't the first time Iris had gotten into trouble over her blog. Hayley had never liked that Iris wrote about her. As soon as she had published the blog, her sister had made herself a target for every criminal that ever wanted to come after the Flash.

"I know, but maybe I could talk-," Iris tried to suggest but was immediately shut down.

"No! He's too dangerous," Hayley stated firmly, and before anyone else could start an argument with her, she raced off.

Cisco and Caitlin immediately moved over to one of the computer screens, their eyes following a little red dot on a map.

" _Hayley, talk to us. What are you doing_?" She heard Caitlin's voice in her earpiece.

" _Dude, don't run angry_ ," Cisco reminded her. " _We don't know how to defeat him yet._ "

But Hayley didn't stop until she reached Keystone Ironworks. The place looked abandoned and dusty. Crates and boxes were lying randomly around. She stepped carefully around the garbage scattered across the floor and noticed some empty beer cans lying around along with stacks of take-out boxes. Someone obviously seemed to live here, but the place was empty for now.

"This is definitely the place," she informed the team through her ear-comms as her eyes still wandered around carefully, searching for clues.

Suddenly she felt a breath of hot air brush against the back of her neck. She turned around, only to find her nose a few inches away from Tony's massive chest. He towered over her like a hurricane, and before she could even react, he flung her across the room with full force.

"You're trespassing, freak," he snarled as he slowly stomped his way over to her, but he stopped a few inches short.

She gasped as her body felt broken, and she couldn't get herself to get back up. She watched as Tony reached his hand over to a heavy metal rack right next to her.

"There's nowhere left to run," she heard him say while she flinched her eyes closed as he pushed the rack onto her, burying her underneath it.

* * *

"Hayley!" Dean yelled furiously as they finally made it to the old ironworks. His voice felt coarse from all the yelling. "Hayles!"

"Is he always this intense?" Caitlin asked Sam, gesturing at Dean, who stormed through the empty building.

"Only when he's worried," Sam replied with an apologetic chuckle.

The group had followed the fight over the speakers in the cortex. Dean's heart dropped when the sounds abruptly stopped, and there was no life sign of Hayley anymore. It had taken them what felt like forever to get to Keystone; Dean was almost sure they were too late.

"Hayley, where are you?" Caitlin shouted behind him.

"Caitlin, over here!" Cisco called out from the other side of the hall.

Dean immediately followed his voice before he found Cisco and Sam standing in front of a fallen-down rack. He swallowed hard when he noticed Hayley underneath it – motionless.

"Hayley? Please say something," Caitlin said as she pushed past the three boys and knelt down to Hayley's side, taking the speedster's pulse. "Say something, so we know you're okay."

"Ouch," Hayley groaned in pain, but still not enough to lose her humor entirely.

The group sighed with relief. _She was okay_.

"Get her out of there," Caitlin ordered the boys, glancing back at Sam and Dean. The brothers instantly followed the redhead's command and pulled the rack off their friend.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Dean yelled his lungs out as he angrily paced the cortex. He didn't care that everyone was watching them curiously right now. "You almost got yourself killed. _Again_!"

She didn't look at him; instead, she just kept spinning circles on the little swivel chair she was sitting on while Dean threw his fit. "I'll heal," she muttered defensively.

"You can't heal when you're fucking dead," he argued furiously. How could she still not understand that?

Instead, she just rolled her eyes back. He swore at that moment he would lock her up in the S.T.A.R. Labs meta-prison himself just to keep her from doing any more stupid shit like this. Cisco had already shown him how it worked.

"He could've killed you," Dean pointed out as his voice suddenly calmed again.

Hayley stopped spinning and glanced up at him for the first time, tears filling her ocean eyes. She got up from her chair, her hands balled into fists. "I know, alright? I fucking _know_!" She yelled at him. "In the past 36 hours, I've had my ass handed to me twice by the guy that tortured me as a kid. I couldn't stop him then, and I can't stop him now! Even with my powers, I'm still powerless against him."

She let out a heavy breath and stared at him. She wasn't angry anymore. She was scared and helpless – feelings she was usually able to hide well, but those suddenly came crashing down like waves inside of her.

"Not necessarily," Dr. Wells remarked, gathering their attention. "Cisco?" The little guy jumped to the doctor's side, ready for his task. "Any material, if struck at a high enough velocity, can be compromised," Dr. Wells explained.

"We ran an analysis on the metal in Tony's footprint," Cisco said and turned on the big TV screen. "Based on its density and atomic structure, if you impact it at just the right angle, at just the right speed, you could do some serious damage."

"How fast would I have to go?" Hayley cocked an eyebrow.

"Factoring in the metal's tensile strength, estimated dermal thickness, atmospheric pressure, air temperature, you'd have to hit him at approximately-," he explained as he typed in various variations. "Mach 1.1," Cisco finally answered as the number popped up on the screen.

Hayley threw her head back with a deep sigh, and Dean threw her a confused look. He hadn't the slightest idea how fast that was.

"You want Hayley to hit something at 800 miles an hour?" Caitlin asked him incredulously.

"837, actually," Cisco clarified.

Dean let out a low, impressed whistle before everyone in the room threw him a look, and he smiled awkwardly at them.

"That's faster than the speed of sound," Caitlin argued.

"I _know_. She would create a sonic boom, which, as I've said before, would be _awesome_ ," Cisco stated excitedly, his eyes twinkling at the prospect of it.

"I've never gone that fast," Hayley replied worriedly.

" _Yet_ ," Wells said with a smile, and Dean furrowed his brow at the man's words.

"I can't believe we're actually entertaining this idea," Caitlin shook her head and threw her hands in the air. She was always the voice of reason in the team, but she never had much luck convincing them otherwise. "I mean, she'd need a straight shot from miles away."

"Yeah, 5.3 miles, theoretically," Cisco replied, taking a sip from his slushy. "Do it right, you'll take him down."

"Do it _wrong_ , you'll shatter every bone in your body," Caitlin warned her.

Hayley glanced back at the brothers behind her, hoping to find the answer in their faces, but all she found were concerned stares.

"Which is why we need to train you," Cisco grinned cheekily.

* * *

"I call him Girder," Cisco announced as he pulled off a white sheet, revealing a rather unstable-looking robot underneath it. "We're gonna train you, girl. _Karate Kid_ style," he beamed at Hayley.

"For the record – not my idea," Caitlin stated, and Hayley laughed.

"Your childhood nemesis is now an unstoppable meta-human. That is seriously messed up," Cisco remarked.

"I had a childhood nemesis. Lexi LaRoche. She used to put gum in my hair," Caitlin chimed in.

"Jake Puckett. If I didn't let him copy my homework, he'd give me a swirly," Cisco said and shuddered at the thought.

"Dirk MacGregor. He was just an ass," Sam joined their conversation, and Dean threw him a look.

Hayley smiled at them. She knew they were trying to make her feel better.

"Great, now that we've established that you're all uber-nerds, how is this thing gonna help her beat this douchebag?" Dean asked and stared at Cisco.

"Glad you asked. Fighting is physics. It's not about strength. It's not about size. It's about energy and power," Cisco explained, and Dean rolled his eyes back with a loud sigh. They would get her killed a third time. "Channel your speed the right way and you can totally take this bad boy down. Now obviously, your Girder is a moving target. So-," Cisco continued, ignoring Dean's mocking antics and grabbed the controller of the robot. He moved the joystick around, and as he did, so did Girder.

Hayley knitted her brow skeptically at the robot in front of her.

"I have ice and bandages standing by," Caitlin sympathetically whispered in her ear.

 _Thank the Gods for Caitlin_ , Hayley thought as she sighed, relieved.

She nodded confidently at Cisco, who started to move Girder around. The robot's arms came at her, but she was fast enough to duck and hit the metal body a couple of times before she felt one of its long arms strike into her left shoulder. She fell to the floor, clasping her arm in pain.

"I'm pretty sure I just dislocated my shoulder," she groaned on the ground, and Dean exhaled deeply, rubbing his face in frustration.

* * *

Hayley had seen the insides of the med bay a lot the last couple of days. It felt like the millionth time that she found herself on the little hard bed today. Dean's face was still a harsh scowl. It had remained that way ever since they entered S.T.A.R. Labs. He even scared away everyone else, and they all sought refuge in Cisco's lab. Only Caitlin remained at Hayley's side as she tended to the speedster's injuries.

"What?" Hayley finally scoffed at the cold marble statue in front of her.

"You still don't get it, huh?" Dean just retorted, crossing his arms in front of his chest with a mocking smile.

"Get what?" Her voice sounded aggravated now.

"Okay, not gonna lie – this is going to be quick but extremely painful," Caitlin interrupted their fight as she carefully took Hayley's arm in her hands.

And for a second, Caitlin wasn't sure if she meant locating Hayley's shoulder back in its place or their heated conversation. Hayley and Dean glanced at her briefly before they turned their attention back to each other.

"You know for a smart-ass, you sure take a long time to catch on," Dean taunted.

"Oh, that's _very_ insightful, Dean. Thank you," she mocked him right back.

"You can't just run in everywhere half-cocked! If you wanted to die so badly, I'd gladly just throw you under the next bus," he fumed and didn't even regret it. Not at that moment, at least.

"Oh, why don't you!" She snapped, and Caitlin's eyes widened at their words.

"Okay, ready or not," Caitlin said, already knowing her attempt on changing the subject would fail. "Three, two," she counted down as she tightly gripped Hayley's left arm.

"And while you're at it, why don't you just try to shoot me again too, huh?" She challenged him further.

"One," Caitlin finished her countdown and pulled Hayley's arm with all the strength she had.

" _GODDAMNIT_!" Hayley screamed out in pain as loudly as she could. "You're such a gigantic fucking ass sometimes!"

Caitlin let go of her arm, and Hayley exhaled a deep, frustrated breath. Her shoulder was hurting, but she was too upset to even notice it. Dean just stared at her patiently, pretending she hadn't just thrown an enormous outburst.

"Are you done?" But his look wasn't directed at Hayley. Instead, he stared at the doctor.

"She seems good to go," Caitlin stated, unsure what else she was supposed to reply.

"Great," he huffed and stomped out of the med bay.

Hayley and Caitlin shared a confused look before Hayley jumped up from the bed and trailed after Dean. "Where the hell are you going now?"

He ignored her as he walked out of the cortex straight towards the exit.

"Dean? Dean!"

* * *

Hayley and Dean stood in the middle of the gym at CCPD. Dean had even forced her to change into workout-appropriate clothes, and she opted for a dark red hoodie and some black leggings. It was the best she could do.

"What the hell are we doing here?" She apprehensively lifted one of her eyebrows as she took a glance at her surroundings. She had never been the sporty-kind-of girl, and she doubted she'd become one now.

"It's the gym," Dean stated matter-of-factly.

"I've never even been here before," she remarked, earning her a frown.

"What do you mean? It's literally right next to your lab," Dean argued, but she looked at him just the same – like a little lost deer in headlights.

"So?"

He sighed, "Nevermind. I'm gonna teach you how to fight."

"You _what_?" She laughed. _Is he serious?_

"You want my help or not?" He raised his brow at her expectantly, and Hayley rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I'm listening," she caved.

"Okay, so fighting – it's about technique and patience. You have to know _where_ to hit and, most importantly, _how_ ," he explained as he strolled over to the punching bag. "Most guys waste a lot of energy in throwing many punches, but really, all you need is _one._ You just gotta make it count."

"Did your dad teach you all this?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Dean replied, and a smile crossed his face at the memory.

He handed her a pair of MMA gloves and helped her slip into them, making sure they sat tightly around her wrists before he dragged her in front of the punching bag. Dean then pushed her a little to the left, so she faced the punching bag properly. It was easy to see she had no idea what she was doing. She brought her arms into a fighting position and looked at Dean for confirmation.

"Higher," Dean commented as he moved her hands up to her face. "You'd wanna protect the moneymaker, right?" He winked at her with a smirk.

"Good point," she agreed with a chuckle.

He carefully placed one of his hands on her shoulder and the other one on her waist as he pushed her feet apart a little with his leg. As he looked back up at her face, he noticed she was staring at him. For the first time, he realized how close they just were. Their heads were almost bumping together, his hands were positioned all over her body, and his right leg was stuck between hers. He had only thought about kissing her once when they met – unofficially at the bar. Once he found out her real identity, he buried that thought deep, deep down.

Dean's crispy green eyes pierced right through her, and her skin tingled where his hands rested. Hayley had never thought about him that way before, no matter how many times he had touched her in the past during their training sessions. They flirted sometimes but all in good fun. Both of them always made sure to never cross a line with the other one. And now, both of them seemed dangerously close to crossing them all at once.

The voice of reason screamed in her head. She gathered her posture, clearing her throat a little, and broke off their gaze. Her blue eyes wandered stubbornly to the punching bag in front of her.

Dean quickly let his hands fall off her body and took a few careful steps back. He was glad Hayley had been the smarter one out of the two because right now, he sure as hell felt a little weak.

"You wanna make sure you stand grounded," he said, coughing up some of the leftover awkwardness that lingered in the air. "No tiptoeing, otherwise your opponent has an easy time throwing you off your balance," he continued like nothing had happened.

Hayley nodded confidently, "Stay grounded – got it."

Dean walked behind the punching bag and gripped it, holding it tightly in place.

"Okay, and most importantly – the thumb is outside the fist, not inside," he stated with a look at her fists.

 _No wonder she broke so many fingers the first time_ , Dean thought with a shake of his head as she adjusted her hands into the right position.

"Okay, so, you don't hit the punching bag-," he started but was cut off.

"I don't?" She knitted her brow questioningly at him, and he grimaced.

"Of course, you do. Let me finish. The punching bag is your target, right? Most people make the mistake of slowing down before they hit something. But you punch like your target is actually six feet behind your real target," Dean explained.

"So right through?" Hayley looked at him straight for the first time since their little moment.

"Right through," he assured her with a nod and held the bag ready for her to punch.

Hayley hit the bag, and he could feel the impact of her punch on his own body. He glanced at her with a grin. "Harder," he said and watched as her eyes narrowed. She was getting angry again.

 _Good_ , he thought. She would need the anger. She hit the bag again, this time a little harder, but he knew she could do more damage.

"Harder," he barked at her, and this time he couldn't even see her hand; it moved so fast.

The punching bag slammed against his chest, hitting his lungs. The impact threw him backward, and he rested his hands on his thighs as he watched the sand run out of the leather bag before he caught his breath again.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry!" She apologized as she ran to his side, putting a hand carefully on his back.

"Whew," Dean whistled and laughed. "Are you kidding me? That was awesome," he stated, and she beamed proudly at him.

The two were interrupted by Eddie, who came running into the gym in a hurry. "Allen, Hetfield. The unit I put on Iris has been attacked. She's missing," he informed them with desperation in his eyes.

Hayley looked back worriedly at Dean.

"Go! I'll call your dad and catch up with you," he told Hayley and watched as she hurried after Eddie.

* * *

"Let's adjust the impact angle by 2 degrees, up the speed to 838," Cisco mused as he played with the variables of the speed equation. " _Bam_ ," he exclaimed as he hit enter and watched as the little version of Hayley raced against Tony on the screen. "Ouch," he mumbled soon after when little Hayley exploded into a million pieces before his eyes.

"Ouch?" Caitlin looked at him in disbelief.

"You have a plan B?" Sam asked as he looked from Caitlin to Cisco, who both answered with a shrug, and he frowned.

"Guys, you there?" They heard Hayley's voice in the hallway as she stormed into the cortex.

"Yeah, what's up?" Cisco asked.

"Tony took Iris. I need you to do whatever you can to help me find her. All right? Satellites, security cameras. Hack 'em all," she commanded them, and Caitlin and Cisco already moved to separate computer screens, following her orders.

"Where's Dean? You didn't kill him, did you? Not that I'd blame you," Sam chuckled, and she giggled.

"No. He's getting Joe, and they're meeting us here," she replied, just as Dean and Joe entered the cortex.

"Anything?" Joe asked worriedly. He couldn't bear to lose his daughter – any of them.

"No, not yet. We're gonna find her. I promise," Hayley said as she turned to her adoptive father, and he nodded. He knew the only person capable of saving his daughter was his other one.

"Hayley, there's a fire alarm call at Carmichael Elementary," Cisco informed them.

"That's yours and Iris' old school," Joe pointed out.

"And Tony's," she added. Tony took Iris to the place where it had all started years ago. If Hayley wasn't so scared and worried, she would have laughed at the poetry of it all.

* * *

Hayley sped to her old school as fast as possible. This time wouldn't be like the last. This time she was prepared. This time she wouldn't fail.

"Tony, turn yourself in before things get worse. It's not too late," Iris tried to reason with him.

"Yeah, it is. Cops are already looking for me, so get ready to cover the showdown of a lifetime 'cause I'm not going out without a fight," Tony smirked at her.

"Good, 'cause you just found one."

Iris smiled out of relief at the girl in the mask, who appeared behind Tony. Her sister had come once again to save her ass.

"You just won't stay dead," Tony snarled as he stomped closer to Hayley, his face a fuming red. "Come to save your little fangirl?" He grabbed onto Iris' arm and yanked her around like bait on a hook.

"This is between us. Let her go," Hayley stated firmly. She didn't know exactly what it was about this suit that made her want to be a martyr every single time.

"Oh, I could, but I'd rather make her watch while I break every bone in your body," Tony threatened and shoved Iris to the ground before his skin turned into silvery metal.

Hayley gracefully slid through Tony's feet and avoided his punch as she raced to Iris. She snapped her sister away from his claws and safely placed her further down by the lockers.

"Wait here," Hayley ordered her sister, and Iris gave her a nod.

Tony swung at her with another fist, and she ducked just in time, speeding behind him before she kicked his literal ass.

"Too slow, tin man," she teased him.

He cried out in frustration. He tried to hit her again, and she gracefully ditched that punch too as his fist smashed into the wall.

"I've known guys like you. Peaked in high school. Never got over it. All these powers, and look at you! Bully then, bully _now_ ," she stated before she grabbed the metal pole of an American flag that hung in the hallways. She swung the pole at his face, but he caught hold of it and instead flung her from wall to wall until she crashed against the lockers harshly. She hardly managed to get up in time before Tony would've stuck that pole right through her. She ran out of the school as fast as she could.

* * *

"She's hurt," Caitlin said as she watched Hayley's vitals drop drastically; everything blinked in a panic on her screen, and she glanced helplessly back at Cisco and the Winchesters, who stared worriedly back at her.

"She made it out," Cisco sighed, relieved as he watched the little red move away from the school on the map.

"Barely," Sam added. "Why did she stop?"

"She's miles away. 5.3 miles away," Cisco realized his friend's plan.

"Hayley, wait!" Caitlin shouted into the microphone, hoping the speedster would listen to her at least for once.

"No way. She's gonna do it! Go, girl, go!" Cisco yelled into the microphone excitedly, and Caitlin slapped his arm at his words of encouragement.

Car alarms were blaring as she raced past parked cars on the street. She was so fast that all the windows' glasses shattered into a million pieces as she passed them. She could feel the speed rushing through her veins. Electricity filled her whole body, making her feel weightless and free – almost like she was flying. Her feet moved off the ground as she reached the school's doors, and she stretched her arm out, ready to knock Tony to the ground.

Her knuckles felt cold when her fingers hit Tony's cool metal skin. She felt his skin change underneath her touch, and he was shoved to the floor as she flew past him in one swift motion and landed right next to him.

" _Supersonic punch, baby!"_ She heard Cisco's scream ringing in her ears as he celebrated.

Tony groaned in pain, and Hayley clutched her broken hand with a gasp. To her surprise, the big guy got up again and looked even more determined to kill her than he had before she punched him. But before he could even take a step closer towards her, Iris knocked him out cold.

Her sister cried out in pain and clasped her hand now too as she fell to the floor next to Hayley. "Nice cross," she complimented Iris with a smirk.

"Yeah, I think I broke my hand," Iris giggled.

"Oh, me too," Hayley stated dryly, and the sisters looked at each other briefly before they burst into full-on laughter.

* * *

Tony was already safely imprisoned in one of the S.T.A.R. Labs confinement cells when he came to consciousness again. He instantly was upon his feet, banging his fists against the glass door, but it wouldn't budge or break. Cisco and Dr. Wells had transformed the old particle accelerator into a meta-human prison.

"Hey! What is this? Where the hell am I?" Tony angrily yelled at the black silhouettes standing outside his jail.

"Somewhere, you'll never hurt anyone ever again," Hayley replied.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" He furrowed his brow, irritated.

"You know who I am," she stated as she stepped out of the shadow in front of him.

"Allen?" Tony looked stunned at the revelation.

"The thing that happened to you, Tony, it happened to me too, but it didn't just give us abilities. It made us more of who we are. You got _strong_. I got _fast_. Fast enough to beat you," she said as a smile crossed her face. "You used your gift to hurt people. Not anymore."

She turned her back to him for good and closed the accelerator's door again as Tony still cursed after her.

"Dude, that had to feel great," Cisco chuckled, and Hayley smiled at him as she approached her friends, who had waited outside for her.

"You have no idea," she replied with a satisfied grin.

"Almost as good as proving me wrong about the supersonic punch?" Cisco raised one brow, looking at her expectantly. He had waited all night to hear about it.

"Actually, that part hurt. Like, a lot," she replied with a laugh. "But I couldn't have done it without you guys."

"All I want to know is which childhood bully are we gonna take down next? Mine or Caitlin's? Sam's?" Cisco questioned.

"Okay, yeah," Hayley laughed and shook her head at him.

"I vote mine. What? Guys, this is not a joke," Cisco called after Caitlin and Sam as he followed them back to the cortex.

"You did good," Dean stated as everyone else left.

"Thanks – for helping me and...everything," Hayley mumbled with a nervous smile.

"Yeah, anytime," Dean smiled back at her. "Don't let this win go to your head, though," he reprimanded her.

"No, I think I've learned my lesson. This time, at least," she stated, and Dean chuckled. "So…drinks at the bar before we hit the road again? I wanna say goodbye to everybody before we leave."

"Yeah, sure. There's just some stuff I have to do back at the motel, but I'll catch up with you guys," Dean said, and she threw him a suspicious look.

Turning down drinks for work was something Dean Winchester would never do, but before she could ask him a million follow-up questions, he had oddly disappeared on her.

* * *

Dean took a seat at the little table in their motel room. He placed the box of evidence Joe had given him in front of him, staring at it for a full ten minutes before he got himself to open it. He took out the little USB flash drive and stuck it into Sam's computer. A folder with various files popped open, and he double-clicked on one of the interrogation video clips.

It opened, and an eleven-year-old Hayley appeared on the screen. She sat on a chair, her little feet dangling in the air. Joe sat across the table from her. The room was gray and sterile, but little Hayley didn't seem bothered at all by her cold surroundings.

" _There was lightning in my house. Yellow and red lightning_ ," she told Joe determinedly. Her blue eyes were desperate as she looked at him through glasses that were way too big for her. She had just lost her mother, and now she was about to lose her father as well. " _There was a man in yellow, then I was on the street. I don't know how I got there. Please, you have to believe me_!" She begged Joe as tears filled her eyes.

Dean closed the laptop and threw the stick back into the box with a frustrated sigh. No one had ever believed him or Sam when they told people about monsters. He wanted to help her. But how was he supposed to do that? He had no clue.

* * *

Cisco, Caitlin, Iris, Eddie, Sam, and Hayley had found their way to the bar. Hayley looked over to Mike behind the counter, whose face immediately lit up at the sight of her.

"I'll grab us some drinks," Hayley told her friends as she made her way over to him with a broad smile and sat down at the barstool in front of him while the rest of them sat down at a booth nearby.

Dean joined them soon after and found the youngest Winchester sitting in a little booth next to Caitlin and Cisco. Eddie and Iris sat across from them as his arm casually rested around her shoulder. They all were chatting and laughing, but one person was missing.

"Hey, Dean, you finally made it," Sam stated with a smile as he noticed his older brother standing next to their table.

"Yeah, where's Hayles?" Dean glanced around the bar in confusion.

"Oh, she went to get drinks, what, like a half-hour ago?" Caitlin smiled and looked over to Iris, who giggled in response.

Dean's eyes wandered over to the bar counter where Hayley sat. She was laughing and throwing jokes around with the bartender.

"Yeah, we should probably get drinks ourselves. Otherwise, we'll be here all night," Iris replied with a laugh and shook her head.

"I don't have a problem with that," Eddie smirked seductively, and Iris grinned at him before she pulled him in for a deep kiss.

"I don't have a problem with that either," Cisco chimed in jokingly, and Caitlin threw him a playful look, shaking her head at him with a giggle.

Dean sat down next to Eddie and Iris and glanced over to Hayley at the bar again with a small internal sigh while the others continued their chit-chat.

"So, did you catch this evil meta-human who terrorized Central City?" Mike asked as he imitated a villainous meta-human, and Hayley giggled at his impression of a big bad meta.

"Yeah, Central City is safe again. For now, at least," she stated proudly as she played with the whiskey glass in her hands.

"Which means you're leaving again, aren't you?"

She looked up at him. She could see Mike wasn't happy about it, but she knew it was for the best to stay away. The different roles she had to play in life had expanded immensely – daughter, sister, friend, colleague, CSI, superhero, hunter. But girlfriend wasn't one of them.

"Yeah. We leave tonight," she stated simply and took another sip from her glass.

"Already? That's soon."

"Well, there's nothing left to do for me here," she shrugged.

"Well, that's not really true, is it?"

She looked up at him, surprised. Was he talking about himself?

"I mean, there's always cats on trees, robberies, fires-," Mike dialed back as he listed every little silly thing that popped into his mind, just not the one he wanted to say.

Hayley sighed in annoyance, "The police can do _that_. They don't need me for this. Plus, I'm not sure how much help I would be anyways. I mean, I almost died twice in the last few days, so-."

"You what?! You almost died?! What the hell happened? Why did no one tell me? Why didn't _you_ tell me?" He fired question after question at her, seemingly upset over her lack of information sharing.

"Calm down, would you?" She laughed. "I'm fine. I won," she smiled, but he still glared at her. Apparently, she had a way of making guys look at her that way.

"It's not fine. Next time you tell me if something like this happens. I could've helped," Mike scolded her.

She grimaced, "And done what, huh? Serve him a drink?"

Hayley knew she was hard on him, but Mike was just a human, and he already almost died on her watch a few months ago. She wouldn't let that happen ever again. She was determined to keep her friend out of this part of her life. There were already enough people involved that she had to protect now, and she wouldn't add one more to the list.

"Look, I'm sorry," Hayley stated as he looked at her with sad puppy dog eyes. The two of them had found themselves in this vicious circle many times before – since the first day they met in college, to be precise.

"Yeah, I know, I'm just human," he shrugged and smiled bitterly at her. "You should probably get back to your friends. You've been sitting here for a while. I have to check something in the, uh, storage room anyways," Mike quickly excused himself before he backed away from the counter and disappeared into the backroom, not giving Hayley a chance to say more.

Mike closed the door of the storage room and leaned against the cool metal before he let out a deep breath that he had kept in ever since she said those words to him. He could feel his hands balling into fists, and before he could even think straight again, his fist smashed into the hard concrete wall. The thunder echoed in his ears as pieces of concrete crumbled to the floor. He stared blankly at the hole in the wall, and his fingertips gently traced the mark he just left there. His knuckles were bleeding, but he couldn't even feel anything anymore.

No, he wasn't human. He didn't have the guts to tell her how he felt, and he sure as hell didn't have the guts to tell her about his abilities. He was a coward who didn't deserve her. He deserved none of it.

Hayley exhaled deeply. She righteously felt like a bitch as she grabbed the tray with drinks and finally found her way to the booth. Her lips formed into an utmost happy smile as she approached her friends, trying to forget about her fight with Mike. The group grabbed their drinks from the tray gratefully and made jokes about Hayley being late again as she plopped down on a chair at the head of the table. Dean held out his beer bottle to her with a smile, and she tapped it with her own, matching his facial expression.

Tonight they wouldn't worry – tonight, they would celebrate for once.

* * *

Sam threw the rest of their stuff into the Impala's trunk as Hayley joined the boys, carrying a heavy silver suitcase.

"Whoa, what is that, Speedy?" Dean furrowed his brow as he held out his flat hand firmly to stop her.

"My forensic suitcase. Don't worry, it's the small one," Hayley smiled at him.

He shook his head determinedly with closed lips. "Mm-mm."

"Fine, it's the medium one. But I really need it," she argued.

"Are they any chemicals in there that might explode if we crash?" Dean lifted an eyebrow with crossed arms.

She rolled her eyes. "Dammit, you're good."

Dean grinned proudly as she sped away, only to return shortly after. He closed the trunk and moved to the driver's seat while Hayley said goodbye to her family and friends. She didn't have to come with them, but Dean had convinced her to train her more.

"I'm gonna miss you, baby girl," Joe stated as he wrapped his arms around both of his daughters, hugging them tightly. He hated goodbyes, and the tears already welled up in his eyes. It felt like the first time when Hayley had left for college at fifteen, and Iris followed in her sister's footsteps only three years later. Joe always went through the same emotions when either of his daughters left again.

"I know. I'm gonna miss you guys, too. But you know, I always come back in a flash," Hayley promised with a wink as she embraced her family one more time before she jumped into Baby's backseat and waved goodbye to Cisco and Caitlin.

Mike walked up behind the group and covered his bleeding knuckles with a washcloth, so no one would notice. He saw a small smile cross Hayley's face as she spotted him, and he waved her softly goodbye.

Hayley watched their faces fade away as the Impala pulled out of its parking spot. She knew she could see them any time, but then again, she could also die during her next case. The stakes were high, and the odds always bad.

"Hey, Speedy," Dean pulled from her thoughts, and she turned her head away from the window and the painful goodbyes.

She glanced at Dean, who grinned at her before he threw a bunch of cassette tapes back.

"Pick the music," he said and watched her in the rearview mirror as a smile resumed to her face while she flipped through the tapes.

Dean sighed contently as his eyes wandered back to the road ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys & welcome back! 
> 
> I'm so in love with this chapter, it's probably one of my favs. Nothing beats Dean at S.T.A.R. Labs. Can't wait for them to come back soon ⚡️😈
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this one as well. Let me know what you think in the comments down below. What was your favorite moment? Feedback is golden! ✨


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